Sailboat retrospective template

Discuss what has helped or hindered your team, then consider opportunities and obstacles ahead

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Sailboat retrospective

Sailboat retrospective template FAQs

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Use the sailboat retrospective template to assess how well a project has been executed and identify areas for improvement. It allows team members to reflect on their progress and make changes as needed so that they can continue to improve their work process.

Sailboat retrospectives use a sailboat voyage as a memorable metaphor for the journey of completing a project or initiative from start to finish.

The sailboat retrospective template helps you:

Recognize what went well in a project and why
Identify potential risks or problems coming up in a project
Reflect on problems faced and how to fix them
Align with teams on a shared goals and upcoming milestones

How to use the sailboat retrospective template

Step 1: Warm up the team

Start off the activity with an icebreaker or warmup to get the team members engaged and ready to collaborate.

Step 2: Introduce the sailboat framework

If teams are new to this framework, introduce each section of the template and what it means.

The four basic components of a sailboat retrospective are:

The wind in our sails: What is helping to move your project along?
The anchor: What is holding your project back?
The beacons: What outcomes are on the horizon that you're working toward?
The barriers: What blockers are there in the way of realizing your project's goals?

Step 3: Start adding sticky notes individually

Start a timer for 5-10 minutes and give team members enough time to individually add sticky notes in each section of the whiteboard canvas

Step 4: Review the sticky notes

Go by each section and review the ideas. Group common topics together to identify recurring themes.

Step 5: Identify the top priority

Discuss and vote on the most important themes to address. What’s slowing down the team or causing the most frustration?

Step 6: Define next steps and action items

Take the topics the team voted on and start identifying ways to fix them for future sprints in the spirit of continuous improvement.

Tips for running a sailboat retrospective meeting

Use Mural’s private mode to allow participants to add feedback anonymously to ensure even sensitive topics get visibility
Start a voting session with stakeholders to prioritize efforts and align the team
Make sure to cluster related sticky notes together to help you identify trends and common themes

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Sailboat retrospective template FAQs

What is a sailboat retrospective?

A sailboat retrospective is a project management tool that helps managers and team members assess how well a project has been executed and identify areas for improvement. It allows team members to reflect on their progress and make changes as needed so that they can continue to improve their work process.

The sailboat retro is a useful and fun way to analyze projects nearing completion, as it allows team members to take a step back and evaluate all the work that has been done up to this point.

How is the sailboat retrospective different from other agile or sprint retrospective methods?

Unlike other types of retrospectives, which may focus on specific aspects of the project, such as the process or the team dynamics, the Sailboat retrospective technique encourages that facilitators and participants consider multiple factors that impact the project's success in the future and the past, including the external factors that the team has no control over, such as market trends, technological changes, or competitors.

What are the four main questions to ask in a sailboat retrospective?

The four central question in a sailboat retrospective are:

What is the wind in our sails? (What is working well and moving our project along?)
What is an anchor holding us back?
What beacons do we see on the horizon that we're working toward?
What barriers do we see in the way of achieving our goals?

By answering these questions, teams can check in on progress, and both identify existing as well as anticipate potential issues that may prevent them from completing their projects.