Templates · Essentials

Mad, Sad, Glad

Starts from how people felt about the sprint, then looks for what caused it.

What it is

Three columns named after emotions. Mad collects what made people angry, the things that went wrong more than once. Sad collects disappointments: expectations that were never met. Glad collects what went well and is worth protecting.

Goal

To put on the table what people carry and do not say in a status meeting, and to trace each feeling back to a cause the team can act on.

When to use it

• After a hard sprint: a missed deadline, an incident, a conflict.
• When retrospectives have become polite and flat.
• When the members trust each other enough to speak about frustration.

When to pick another format

The format needs trust. In a new team, or with a manager in the room, people may write little: a Safety Check first tells you whether the room is ready, and Went well, To improve, Action ideas covers the same ground without asking for emotions. After a calm sprint Mad stays empty and feels forced; Happy, Meh, Sad is lighter.

How to run it

1. Mad: ask what made people angry. The column is for what keeps going wrong, not for a single bad day. Remind everyone to aim at situations, not at colleagues.
2. Sad: ask what was disappointing. A useful prompt: what did you expect that did not happen?
3. Glad: ask what went well and is worth protecting next sprint. Fill it last, so that the writing does not end on complaints.

Group the cards and vote. Cards of Mad and Sad often describe the same event from two sides; say so when you reach them. For each topic, ask what caused the feeling before asking what to do about it. Not every card needs an action: sometimes having been heard is the result. Choose the causes the team can change, and give each action an owner and a date.

Columns

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