Book Club retrospective

Sprint Idea – Discuss the story of your last sprint to make the next one a best seller.

What is Book Club retrospective?

The Book Club retrospective is a fun retro idea to help your team review the story of their last sprint. It helps position your team to offer an overview of their last iteration, identify the challenges they faced and celebrate those who helped overcome them.

This is a great agile retrospective idea to use following a difficult sprint. The team can choose how they talk about their experiences; be it a thriller, mystery, or even a work of non-fiction.

Using this format can help diffuse tension and lighten the mood. Unexpected problems and challenges are rephrased as Plot Twists.

The contributions of team members are showcased by celebrating people who helped create stories and resolve issues. Lastly, the team can be in charge of their own story by writing what happens in the next chapter.

Book Club retrospective format

Genre

If the last sprint was a book, what genre was it and why? What story type best describes the sprint?

Plot Twist

What were some of the key turning points in the last sprint? What happened that wasn’t expected? What surprise challenges were faced?

Key Characters

Who were the key actors from our team that you want to acknowledge? Who resolved conflicts? Who saved the day?

Next Chapter

What do we want to write in our next chapter? How will we move from where we are to where we want to be?

Suggested icebreaker questions for Book Club retrospective

  • Which do you prefer, a mystery or an adventure story?
  • What type of genre best describes your day so far?
  • What has been the biggest chapter of your life so far?
  • What is your favourite book you have read?

Retro warm up

Thinking of the story Little Red Riding Hood, ask everyone to state the Genre, Plot Twists and key characters of the story. If they then had to write the next chapter, what would it include?

Ideas and tips for your Book Club retrospective

  • Establish a mood. Before starting the retrospective, ask everyone what their favorite book is or which book genre they prefer. This will boost their imagination and make it easier for them to match their insights with the actual retrospective.
  • Make it interactive. Try to involve everyone in the retrospective. Anything that gets everyone involved will help make the retrospective more engaging.
  • Keep your team agreements in view during your retrospective. Remember you can add to them at any time.
  • Create a fun atmosphere. Keeping the atmosphere light-hearted will help everyone to stay engaged and motivated. Bring books, music, or whatever else you think might help to lighten the mood.
  • Set realistic goals. Make sure that everyone is setting realistic and achievable goals for the next period of time. This will help ensure that everyone is on the same page and that progress is made in the right direction.

How to run a Book Club 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.

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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.

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