🚦🟢🟡🔴 Traffic Light Retro
Signal the green lights of success, the yellow kudos, and the red alerts of challenges as we steer our sprint forward. Let’s assign actions and keep the momentum rolling!
Template Columns
🟢 Go! Initiatives
Identify fresh ideas and actions to kick‑off in the next sprint.
Base column: Start🔴 Halt! Blockers
Highlight practices or obstacles we must cease to improve flow.
Base column: Stop🟡 Keep! Momentum
Celebrate what’s working well and keep it moving forward.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
A traffic‑light style retro where teams sort ideas into green (new initiatives), yellow (keep), and red (stop) to create actionable outcomes.
When to use this template
Use when you need a quick visual way to separate new ideas, successes, and blockers, especially after a sprint with mixed results.
How to facilitate
Set the board with the three colored columns and explain the meaning of each traffic‑light color.
Give each participant 3–5 sticky notes and ask them to write items for each column: green for new initiatives, yellow for things to keep, red for blockers.
Collect the notes, place them in the appropriate columns, and group similar items together.
Facilitate a brief discussion on each column, prioritizing the most impactful items and deciding on concrete actions for green and red items.
Assign owners and due dates to the selected actions, recording them on the board.
Close the retro by summarizing the agreed actions and confirming the next check‑in point.
Pro Tips
Limit each participant to a maximum of three items per column to keep the board focused.
Use voting stickers or emoji reactions to quickly surface the most critical green and red items.
Encourage the team to phrase red items as specific problems rather than vague frustrations.
Turn yellow items into a quick “continue” commitment by having the owner state how they’ll maintain the practice.
FAQ
What if we have too many items in one column?
Group similar items together and vote to surface the top three that need immediate attention, deferring the rest to a backlog.
How do we handle items that could fit multiple colors?
Discuss the nuance as a team and place the item where it has the greatest impact for the next sprint, noting any cross‑column relevance.
Can we run this retro with a distributed team across time zones?
Yes—schedule a short synchronous session for discussion and use asynchronous comments or a shared board for initial idea collection.
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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