Templates · Essentials

Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed for

Looks back over a period through what people valued, learned, missed and wished for.

What it is

Four columns, each a word starting with L. Two are about what was there: what people liked and what they learned. Two are about what was not. The difference between those two matters: Lacked is what was missing and made the work harder, Longed for is what you wish existed, even if it is not the team’s to build.

Goal

A shared picture of the period that includes what the team learned, not only what went well or badly. The gaps come out sorted: those the team can close itself, and those it has to ask someone else for.

When to use it

• At the end of a longer period: a release, a project, a quarter.
• After work on something new, where learning was a large part of the effort.
• With a team that tends to list only problems: two of the four columns are positive.

When to pick another format

In a regular sprint the fourth column often stays empty: 3 Ls drops it. If the team wants to decide on changes of behaviour directly, take Start, Stop, Continue. The format touches feelings only indirectly; when frustration is high, Mad, Sad, Glad lets people say it.

How to run it

1. Liked: ask what each person enjoyed or valued about the period.
2. Learned: ask what people know now that they did not know before, about the product, the tools or the team itself.
3. Lacked: ask what was missing and made the work harder: information, time, a skill, a decision.
4. Longed for: ask what people wish existed, including things outside the team’s reach.

Group the cards and vote. Cards of Lacked usually turn into actions the team owns. Cards of Longed for often need someone outside the team: the action is then for one member to carry the request to the right person. Before closing, read Learned aloud and decide what deserves to be written down or shared with other teams.

Columns

To start a retrospective from this template, see Create a retro.