Retrospective Template
A structured retrospective template to help your team reflect on what worked, what did not, and what to do differently next time. Run more effective retros and drive continuous improvement.
What Went Well
Celebrate wins and identify practices worth repeating
Sprint/Period: [Sprint 14 / March 2026]
Team: [Team Name]
1. [e.g., "Shipped the new onboarding flow 2 days ahead of schedule"]
2. [e.g., "Cross-team communication improved with daily async standups"]
3. [e.g., "Zero critical bugs in production this sprint"]
4. [e.g., "Pair programming sessions helped onboard the new engineer faster"]
What to Improve
Identify pain points, blockers, and areas for growth
1. [e.g., "Sprint scope changed mid-cycle, causing context switching"]
2. [e.g., "Code reviews took too long, blocking merges for 2+ days"]
3. [e.g., "QA was only involved at the end instead of throughout"]
4. [e.g., "Documentation for the new API was not updated"]
Action Items
Concrete actions with owners and deadlines
Action 1: [e.g., "Implement a scope freeze policy after sprint planning"]
Owner: [Name] · Due: [Date]
Action 2: [e.g., "Set 24-hour SLA for code reviews"]
Owner: [Name] · Due: [Date]
Action 3: [e.g., "Involve QA in sprint planning and daily standups"]
Owner: [Name] · Due: [Date]
How to Use This Template
Collect input async
Share the template before the meeting so team members can add their thoughts in advance. This gives introverts a voice and saves meeting time.
Facilitate the discussion
Walk through each section as a group. Group similar items into themes and let the team vote on the most important topics to discuss.
Assign action items
Every improvement needs an owner and a deadline. Limit to 2-3 actions per retro so they actually get done. Quality over quantity.
Review last retro first
Start each retro by reviewing action items from the previous one. This builds accountability and shows the team that retros lead to real change.
Customize in Dewx
Inside Dewx, tell Dew: "Set up a retro board for Sprint 14." Dew creates the board, collects async input from the team, groups feedback into themes, and suggests action items based on recurring patterns. Previous retro actions carry forward automatically so nothing gets forgotten.
Related Templates
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should we run retrospectives?
Run a retrospective at the end of every sprint (typically every 1-2 weeks). For non-agile teams, monthly retros work well. The key is consistency. Teams that retro regularly improve faster because they catch issues early and reinforce what is working.
What is the best retrospective format?
The "What went well / What to improve / Action items" format is the most widely used because it is simple and action-oriented. Other popular formats include Start-Stop-Continue, 4Ls (Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed For), and Sailboat. Rotate formats to keep retros fresh.
How do you get honest feedback in a retrospective?
Create psychological safety by starting with positives, making it clear there are no wrong answers, and using anonymous input if needed. The facilitator should not be the team lead. Focus on processes and outcomes, not individuals. Follow through on action items to build trust.
How does Dewx support retrospectives?
Dewx CX Hub provides built-in retrospective boards where team members submit feedback asynchronously. Dew summarizes themes, suggests action items based on recurring issues, and tracks whether previous retro actions were completed in the next sprint.
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