Skip to main content
AI Features

Facilitator Co-pilot

What the Facilitator Co-pilot Is

The facilitator co-pilot is a chat-based AI assistant available to retrospective facilitators during live retros. Unlike the other AI features in Unpack, which produce specific outputs like grouped cards or action item drafts, the co-pilot is a conversational tool that can answer questions, offer suggestions, and help the facilitator navigate challenging situations in real time.

Think of the co-pilot as having an experienced agile coach sitting beside you during the retrospective, ready to help when you need guidance but staying quiet when you do not. It understands the context of your current retrospective, including the cards on the board, the phase you are in, and how the conversation is progressing.

The facilitator co-pilot is visible only to the facilitator. Team members cannot see the co-pilot panel or the conversation happening within it. This gives the facilitator a private space to seek guidance without affecting the team dynamic.

How to Access the Co-pilot

The co-pilot is available throughout the entire retrospective, from the check-in phase through to closing. To access it:

  1. Open a retrospective where you are assigned as the facilitator.
  2. Look for the co-pilot icon (a sparkle with a chat bubble) in the bottom-right corner of the board. This icon is only visible to the facilitator.
  3. Click the icon to open the co-pilot panel. It slides in from the right side of the screen alongside the retrospective board.
  4. Type your question or request in the message input at the bottom of the panel and press Enter.

The co-pilot panel can be opened and closed at any time without losing your conversation history. Your messages and the AI's responses persist for the duration of the retrospective.

Types of Questions You Can Ask

The co-pilot is flexible and can help with a wide range of facilitation needs. Here are the most common categories of questions facilitators ask:

Phase guidance

Ask the co-pilot for advice on managing the current phase. Examples:

  • "The reflect phase has been running for 15 minutes and some people have not written any cards. What should I do?"
  • "We have 40 cards to group. Should I use smart grouping or group manually?"
  • "How much time should we spend on voting with a team of eight?"

Conversation management

Get help navigating tricky conversations or interpersonal dynamics. Examples:

  • "Two team members are disagreeing about sprint planning. How do I facilitate this productively?"
  • "One person is dominating the discussion. How can I create space for others?"
  • "The conversation has gone off-topic. How do I redirect without shutting anyone down?"

Content analysis

Ask the co-pilot to analyze what is on the board and surface observations you might have missed. Examples:

  • "What themes are emerging from the cards so far?"
  • "Are there any cards that seem contradictory?"
  • "Which group has the most diverse perspectives?"
  • "Summarize the key concerns in the 'Needs Improvement' column."

Follow-up questions

Ask the co-pilot to suggest questions to deepen the conversation. Examples:

  • "We are discussing the testing bottleneck. What question could help the team identify the root cause?"
  • "The team agreed this is a problem but no one has suggested a solution. How can I prompt solution thinking?"

Process decisions

Get input on facilitation decisions you need to make in the moment. Examples:

  • "We have 20 minutes left and three topics. Should we time-box or prioritize the top-voted one?"
  • "We did not get to all the topics. What is the best way to handle the ones we missed?"

The more specific your question, the more useful the co-pilot's response will be. Instead of "Help me with this discussion," try "The team is stuck on the deployment topic. They've identified the problem but aren't proposing solutions. What can I ask to move them forward?"

Using Suggestions in Real Time

The co-pilot's responses typically include specific phrases or questions you can use with your team. Here is how to make the most of these suggestions during a live retro:

  • Adapt, do not copy — The co-pilot's suggested phrasing is a starting point. Rephrase it in your own words and voice so it sounds natural to your team.
  • Pause briefly — It is fine to take a few seconds to read the co-pilot's response before speaking. A brief pause can actually help the team reflect.
  • Use selectively — You do not need to follow every suggestion. If the co-pilot offers three possible questions, pick the one that feels most relevant to where the conversation is heading.
  • Acknowledge your facilitation — If a team member asks why you are glancing at your screen, you can be transparent about using a facilitation tool. Many teams appreciate the effort to run a better retro.

Co-pilot Context and Awareness

The co-pilot has access to the following context about your retrospective, which allows it to provide relevant and specific suggestions:

  • All cards on the board and which columns they belong to.
  • Card groups and their theme labels.
  • Vote tallies for each card and group.
  • The current phase of the retrospective.
  • The retrospective template being used.
  • The number of participants.
  • Action items from previous retrospectives for the same team.

The co-pilot does not have access to individual participant identities, who wrote which card, or how individuals voted. This preserves the anonymity principles that are core to Unpack.

The co-pilot does not listen to your team's verbal conversation. Its awareness is limited to what is on the board and your messages in the chat. If important context has come up in verbal discussion, mention it briefly in your message to the co-pilot so it can factor it into its response.

Co-pilot vs. Automated AI Features

It is helpful to understand how the co-pilot differs from the other AI features in Unpack:

  • Card coaching, smart grouping, discussion guide, and action item drafts are task-specific tools. They produce a defined output (a revised card, a set of groups, a guide, or action items) when triggered. They are structured and predictable.
  • The facilitator co-pilot is open-ended. It responds to whatever you ask, in whatever way is most helpful. It does not produce structured outputs that get applied to the board — it produces advice that you, as the facilitator, choose how to use.

The two categories complement each other. Use the automated features for the mechanical tasks (grouping, drafting, generating) and the co-pilot for the human tasks (navigating conversations, making judgment calls, handling interpersonal dynamics).

Best Practices

  1. Open the co-pilot before the retro starts — Familiarize yourself with the panel so you are not discovering the interface during a live session.
  2. Prepare a few questions in advance — Before the retro, think about what you might need help with and have questions ready for faster support.
  3. Use it for unfamiliar situations — The co-pilot is especially valuable when you encounter a situation you have not facilitated before, such as a heated disagreement or a topic that touches on sensitive team dynamics.
  4. Do not over-rely on it — The co-pilot is a supplement to your facilitation skills, not a replacement. Trust your own judgment and use the AI when you want a second perspective or a fresh idea.
  5. Review the conversation after the retro — The co-pilot conversation is saved with the retrospective. Reviewing it afterward helps you improve as a facilitator.

New facilitators often find the co-pilot especially helpful for their first few retrospectives. As you gain confidence you may use it less, but it remains valuable for unusual situations.