Templates · Team & mood
Kudos
Opens with thanks to named people, then reviews what went well and what to improve, and ends on steps with an owner.
- Kudos Thank a specific person for something specific
- Went well What worked and should be protected next sprint
- To improve Where the team lost time or quality
- Action items Steps with an owner, taken out of the column above
What it is
A sprint review with a column of thanks in front of it. Kudos is for thanking a specific person for something specific. Went well and To improve look back at the sprint, and Action items holds the steps the team draws from To improve.
Goal
People hear, in front of the team, what their work meant to their colleagues, and the team leaves with a few steps that each have an owner.
When to use it
After a sprint in which people carried each other: a release, an incident, someone covering for an absence. When good work goes unnoticed because the team only ever talks about problems. It also suits a team that is not used to thanking out loud: a column makes thanks part of the routine.
When to pick another format
Thanks cannot be forced. In a team in open conflict the Kudos column fills with polite cards or stays empty: start with Mad, Sad, Glad, or read the room with a Safety Check first. To end on appreciation instead of opening with it, take Appreciation Retro. If recognition already happens elsewhere, Went well, To improve, Action ideas is the same review in three columns.
How to run it
- Kudos. Ask who helped you this sprint, and with what exactly. One person and one fact per card, not “thanks, everyone”.
- Went well. Ask what worked and should be protected next sprint: what the team did, not only what turned out well.
- To improve. Ask where the team lost time or quality. One problem per card.
- Action items. Ask people to write the step they already have in mind for a problem they raised.
Once everyone has written, read the Kudos column aloud before anything else. Then group the cards, spend the votes on To improve, and discuss the top topics beside the steps proposed in Action items. Record the steps the team commits to as action items, each with an owner and a due date.
Columns
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Kudos | Thank a specific person for something specific |
| Went well | What worked and should be protected next sprint |
| To improve | Where the team lost time or quality |
| Action items | Steps with an owner, taken out of the column above |
To start a retrospective from this template, see Create a retro.