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Retrospectives
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Sailboat

Sailboat

The Sailboat Retrospective is a reflection method where a team reflects on what helps them move forward (Wind) and what holds them back (Anchor). It helps the group to feel united in the same boat and reflect on the current state of a project in a visual and constructive way.

Guide
Script
1

Start with what's working

(Sticky Generate)
  • For the next 4 minutes, each participant writes down and collects everything that works well, in regards to the topic of the session
  • Each item on a new sticky note.

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2

Capture all the problems

(Sticky Generate)
  • The group spends 4 minutes writing down challenges related to the topic
  • Any issue can be written down, for example:some text
    • "I don’t feel like we’re making progress"
    • "I feel like project X is getting more attention than my project"

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3

Vote on Problems

(Dot Voting)
  • Now, everybody votes on the problems they consider to be most important and relevant to solve, individually and without discussion.
  • Everybody gets 3 votes as dot stickers. Don’t vote on positives, only on negatives.

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Welcome, everyone! Today, we're going to do a Sailboat Retrospective. This method will help us visualize our progress, identify what's working well, and pinpoint challenges we need to address.

Let's start by taking a look how this retrospective works. Imagine our team as a sailboat on a journey. The sail represents the things that are pushing us forward, the wind in our sails. The anchor represents the things that are holding us back. The purpose of this retrospective is to identify and discuss these elements to improve our team's journey.

Now, let's move on to recognizing what is working well for our team.

For the next 4 minutes, take some time to think about everything that is working well in our team. Write down each item on a separate sticky note. Remember to focus on the things that are driving us forward, just like the wind in our sails.‍

[Start with things that are working]

Great job, everyone. Now, let's shift our focus to the challenges and obstacles.

Next, we will spend 4 minutes writing down all the challenges, annoyances, mistakes, or concerns we have regarding our progress. Please write each item on a separate sticky note. These can range from feelings of slow progress to specific issues hindering your work.

I encourage you to write down as many problems as you can think of. Often, the most critical issues surface quickly, so don't hold back.

[Capture all the problems]

Excellent work! We've gathered valuable insights on what's driving us forward and what's holding us back. Let's discuss these insights and work on actionable steps to improve our journey.

Now that we've capture all of our insights it is time to choose where we want to focus on as a team. We'll do this with our voting dots. You can vote on your own items and vote on multiple times on one item.

[Vote on problems]

While we are looking over our insights, rearrange the items to group them together if they are related.

Are there any questions?

Thank you all for your active participation. Your input is invaluable for our continuous improvement.

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