🌿🧟♂️ The Last of Us: Survival Sprint
Embark on a post‑apocalyptic journey, navigating challenges like infected zones and scarce resources, while applying agile principles to survive, adapt, and thrive together.
Template Columns
🛠️ Scavenge & Build
Identify new practices or tools we’ll adopt to survive and thrive in our project wilderness.
Base column: Start⚠️ Halt the Infected
Highlight habits or blockers that spread like infection and need to be eliminated.
Base column: Stop🌱 Keep the Campfire
Maintain the strengths and rituals that keep our team warm and cohesive.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
A post‑apocalyptic themed sprint retrospective that helps teams scavenge new practices, eliminate blockers, and reinforce strengths.
When to use this template
Use when the team needs a fresh, engaging way to surface improvements and celebrate what’s working, especially after intense or high‑risk sprints.
How to facilitate
Set the scene by briefly describing the post‑apocalyptic story and the three columns: Scavenge & Build, Halt the Infected, Keep the Campfire
Give each participant 3–5 minutes to write individual notes on sticky notes or virtual cards for each column, focusing on concrete actions, blockers, and strengths
Collect the notes, group similar items together, and place them under the appropriate column on the shared board
Facilitate a discussion column by column: first explore the Scavenge & Build ideas and decide which to experiment with; then address the Halt the Infected items, vote on the top three to eliminate; finally review Keep the Campfire items and agree on rituals to continue
Summarize the agreed actions, assign owners and due dates, and close the session with a quick morale check or a themed “survival pledge”
Pro Tips
Use a timer for each phase to keep energy high and prevent analysis paralysis
Encourage participants to phrase blockers as “infected symptoms” to keep the metaphor vivid and reduce blame
When selecting new practices, limit experiments to one or two per sprint to avoid overload
FAQ
What if the team struggles to come up with Scavenge ideas?
Prompt them with examples of recent successes or ask what tools helped them survive the last sprint; remind that even small tweaks count.
How do we prevent the discussion from turning into a blame session when addressing Halt the Infected?
Frame each blocker as a symptom of the environment, not a personal fault, and focus on process changes rather than individuals.
Can this format be shortened for a 30‑minute retro?
Yes, combine the silent brainstorming and grouping steps, limit voting to a single top item per column, and skip the morale check if time is tight.
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At a glance
- Duration
45–60 min
- Team Size
4-12 people
- Columns
3 columns
- Base Format
Start, Stop, Continue
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective