Templates · Essentials

Thumbs up, Thumbs down, New ideas, Recognition

Covers the good, the bad, new ideas and thanks on one board that anyone can read at a glance.

What it is

Four columns, each with a symbol. Two look back at the sprint, thumbs up and thumbs down. One looks forward and collects ideas. The last one looks at people and gives credit.

Goal

A balanced session: the problems are named, ideas get a place of their own and do not have to answer a problem, and colleagues are thanked by name.

When to use it

• For a regular sprint, as an all-round format.
• With mixed groups or newcomers: the symbols explain the columns.
• When the team rarely takes the time to thank anyone.
• When ideas get lost because the retrospective only reviews the past.

When to pick another format

Four columns spread the attention. In a short session, take the three of Went well, To improve, Action ideas. If thanking each other is the whole purpose, the Appreciation Retro gives it more room. If one problem needs to be taken apart, use Fishbone Analysis.

How to run it

1. 👍 Thumbs up: ask what went well this sprint.
2. 👎 Thumbs down: ask what went wrong or felt frustrating. Both facts and feelings belong here.
3. 💡 New ideas: ask for ideas worth trying, even half-formed ones. Say that an idea does not have to answer a card of the previous column.
4. 🏆 Recognition: ask people to credit someone who made another person’s work easier, with a name and what they did.

Start the discussion by reading 🏆 Recognition aloud: it sets the tone and needs no vote. Then group and vote on the other three columns. Discuss the most voted cards of 👎 Thumbs down with 💡 New ideas beside them: an idea often answers a problem its author did not have in mind. Turn what the team agrees on into actions with an owner and a date.

Columns

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