Create beginner Works with: Any AI

Retrospective Format Selector and Script

Structured brief Has example

Pick a format for your team's situation.

The Open buttons send the prompt text as currently shown below to that site only when you click. Fill in the placeholders first.

Plan a retrospective. Team and sprint or project period: [TEAM_AND_PERIOD]. What happened (highlights and problems): [WHAT_HAPPENED]. Team mood: [MOOD]. Time: [TIME].

Choose from formats (start, stop, continue; what went well, what didn't, what to try; 4Ls: liked, learned, lacked, longed for; sailboat; timeline) and explain why one fits my situation. Then provide a full 60-minute script: set the stage (5), gather data (15), generate insights (15), decide what to do (15), close (5). Include prompts, instructions for remote and in-person versions, a method for quiet voices (write first), dot voting for priority, and a template for actions: action | owner | date | how we will know.

Add a fix for repeated retros that go nowhere (limit to two actions, review last actions first), an anonymity option, and a closing appreciation round.

Compare two formats in a short table before choosing one, give the exact instructions to read aloud for each stage, and state what to do if the team stays silent after the prompts (switch to writing individually for three minutes).

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Replace each bracketed placeholder with your own details, then paste into Any AI or another assistant.

Situation: sprint with two late releases and tension about handovers; team mood tired.
Format chosen: timeline plus 4Ls (liked, learned, lacked, longed for), because people need to see events before judging them.
Script: set the stage (5): one-word check-in. Gather data (15): add events to the timeline with a color for good or bad. Insights (15): cluster the "lacked" items and look for causes. Decide (15): choose two actions with owner and date. Close (5): appreciation round.
Action example: "Designer posts final files by Wednesday noon; Sam checks them against the checklist; review in two weeks by counting late handovers."
Quiet voices write first, then share.

• retrospective
• structured-brief