What Are Retrospective Templates?
A retrospective template defines the columns that appear on your retro board. Each column represents a category of feedback that participants will contribute to during the reflect phase. Choosing the right template sets the tone for the entire session and helps guide your team toward the kind of reflection you need.
When you create a new retrospective, you select a template. Unpack then generates the appropriate columns with pre-configured titles, descriptions, and optional placeholder prompts to help participants get started.
Not sure which template to pick? Start with Start / Stop / Continue. It is the most versatile format and works well for teams new to retrospectives.
Template Categories
Unpack organizes its templates into four categories based on the type of reflection they encourage. Each category serves a different purpose and is suited to different team situations.
Simple
Straightforward formats that work well for teams of any experience level. These templates focus on direct, actionable feedback with minimal abstraction.
- Start / Stop / Continue — Three columns asking what the team should begin doing, stop doing, and keep doing.
- Went Well / To Improve / Action Items — A classic two-plus-one format that separates reflection from commitment.
Feelings
Templates that tap into the emotional dimension of teamwork. These are particularly effective when you suspect morale issues or want to surface how people are actually feeling, not just what they are thinking.
- Mad / Sad / Glad — Three columns organized by emotion. This format helps teams acknowledge frustrations and celebrate positive moments.
- Liked / Learned / Lacked / Longed For (4Ls) — Four columns that explore both satisfaction and aspiration, giving a fuller picture of team sentiment.
Investigation
Templates designed for deeper analysis. Use these when you want to go beyond surface-level observations and explore root causes or systemic patterns.
- Sailboat — Uses a sailing metaphor with four columns: Wind (what propels the team forward), Anchor (what holds the team back), Rocks (risks ahead), and Island (the team's goal).
- Starfish — Five columns: Keep Doing, More Of, Less Of, Stop Doing, Start Doing. Adds nuance beyond simple start/stop by distinguishing between degree and direction of change.
Adaptation
Templates focused on forward-looking change and experimentation. These work well for mature teams that want to move quickly from reflection to action.
- Drop / Add / Keep / Improve (DAKI) — Four columns that frame feedback in terms of concrete changes to team practices.
- Lean Coffee — A single open column where participants propose any topic. Topics are then voted on and discussed in priority order. Best for teams that want maximum flexibility.
How Columns Are Configured
When you select a template, Unpack automatically creates the corresponding columns on your retro board. Each column includes:
- Title — The column heading visible to all participants (e.g., "What went well").
- Description — A brief explanation shown below the title to guide participants on what kind of feedback belongs in this column.
- Color coding — Each column has a distinct color to help visually separate categories of feedback.
- Sort order — Columns appear in a predefined order that creates a natural flow for reflection.
Column configuration is locked once the retro moves past the draft phase. If you need to adjust columns, return to the draft phase first.
Choosing the Right Template
The best template depends on your team's current situation. Here are some guidelines:
For your first retro
Use Start / Stop / Continue. The three columns are intuitive and require no explanation. New teams can focus on the conversation rather than figuring out the format.
When morale feels low
Use Mad / Sad / Glad. Naming emotions directly gives people permission to express frustration constructively. The "Glad" column ensures the conversation does not become entirely negative.
When you want deeper analysis
Use Sailboat or 4Ls. These templates encourage participants to think beyond immediate reactions and consider underlying causes, risks, and aspirations.
When the team is experienced
Use Starfish or DAKI. These templates add nuance that experienced teams appreciate. They distinguish between practices to amplify versus practices to reduce, rather than treating everything as binary keep-or-drop decisions.
When you want open discussion
Use Lean Coffee. This format removes the structure of predefined columns and lets the team decide what matters most. It works well for teams that have specific topics they want to address outside the usual retro format.
Rotating templates across sprints keeps retros fresh and surfaces different kinds of feedback. Try alternating between a simple template and a more investigative one.
Template and the Retro Flow
Your template choice affects only the reflect phase, where participants write cards into columns. All other phases (check-in, group, vote, discuss, commit) work the same way regardless of which template you selected. This means you can experiment freely with different templates without changing how the rest of your retro process works.