What is a Sprint Retrospective?

The sprint retrospective technique asks 4 basic questions that gets the team thinking about the outcomes of the last sprint, and what actions they should focus on next.  While it is straightforward, it sends the basic message that you are listening and geared for improvement. Based on the book by Esther Derby, Diana Larsen and Ken Schwaber, this tried and true method acts as an engine tune-up that keeps your team working at peak performance. Held regularly, it uncovers issues with the software development life cycle and gives your team a way to solve it together.
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Rather than running a post mortem, regular sprint retrospectives  that are short, sharp and documented means that you can quickly make changes before it’s too late. Much like steering a big ship, it’s a lot easier to make small changes en route to the destination than finding out at the end you have docked in the wrong port. Unlike debriefs or post-mortems is it is intended to have a more positive and proactive focus.

Sprint Retrospective Questions

What went well?

Focuses on success and things that people are proud of both from a technical or teamwork aspect.

What went less well?

Aims to identify areas for improvement, gaps in processes or misalignment.

What do we want to try next?

Creates a forward-looking perspective and encourages the team to problem solve.

What puzzles us?

Identifies potential challenges, hurdles or barriers that should be addressed in a timely manner.

The good news is that this format is relatively safe due to its objective nature. Running your meetings digitally saves time and also records ideas, votes and action items. No more having to decipher handwriting and retyping notes.

How to run an Sprint Retrospective in TeamRetro

Start Your Session in a Click

Log into TeamRetro and choose your template. Customise questions and the workflow to create your perfect retro for your team.

Create Your Team Easily – No Separate Accounts Needed

Invite your team in seconds via email, link, or Slack. Role based permissions and SSO options available.

Brainstorm Individually – Free From Bias

Encourage open and honest input with anonymous brainstorming. Set the mood with background music, give teams space to think independently, and keep the session flowing with built-in timers.
Grouping of ideas after brainstorming in a retrospective meeting

Smart Grouping for Faster Insights

Easily drag and drop similar ideas or let AI suggest groupings to save time. Choose between facilitator-led or participant-led grouping to match your team’s workflow.
Grouping of ideas after brainstorming in a retrospective meeting

Fair, Flexible, and Fast Voting

Keep votes private and unbiased with multiple voting options. Once voting is complete, TeamRetro automatically sorts results, helping your team focus on what matters most.
Grouping of ideas after brainstorming in a retrospective meeting

Engage, React, and Capture Key Insights

Walk your team through ideas one by one with Presentation Mode. Stay in sync, spark real-time discussions, and capture feedback with comments, live reactions, and polls—all in one place.

Grouping of ideas after brainstorming in a retrospective meeting

Turn Ideas Into Action

Propose next steps with team buy-in, get AI-powered action suggestions, and keep everything in one place. Committed actions sync to your personal dashboard and integrate with your workflow tools—keeping you on track.

Grouping of ideas after brainstorming in a retrospective meeting

Save, Share, and Stay on Track

Get quick AI-powered summaries, add facilitator notes, and store retrospectives in your library for easy access. Schedule your next session and track published actions to keep your team accountable at the next retro.

Grouping of ideas after brainstorming in a retrospective meeting

Turn Team Data into Actionable Insights

Uncover trends, common themes, and key engagement metrics at a glance. Track sentiment shifts, analyze conversations, and monitor completed actions to drive continuous improvement.

Ideas and tips for your sprint retrospectives

  • Set the stage. Welcome people and set the tone of the meeting and give them a safe space to share ideas. A great way to do this is to ask “Can we begin now?” and waiting for people to begin.
  • Use the sprint retrospective format for new teams to introduce them to the agile agenda.
  • Make brainstorming anonymous to allow people to feel safe when contributing their thoughts. People will feel more engaged when they feel like they can air what they need to.
  • Use the concepts of brain writing – give people “silent time” to write, read and respond to what is being presented. It might just be a minute that can make all the difference.
  • Use the way teams vote to manage culture. You’ll get interesting insights when people vote individually. The last thing you want is the sheep mentality where people simply follow what has already been done.
  • A thank you goes a long way. Give a shout out to the team at the end of the meeting.
  • In face to face meetings, doing things digitally allows you to collect ideas, vote and comment anonymously, and saves manual collation. If running your meeting digitally, use a video conferencing tool to give that personal touch.
  • Rotate the role of facilitator. Changing the role can break the routine.
  • Follow up with an action list that you will check off at the start of the next team retro.