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33 Fun Retrospectives Examples & Samples for Agile Teams

Table of Contents

Are you looking for first-class examples & samples of retrospectives? – Then you've come to the right place, because in this article I'll give you lots of examples of simple retrospectives.

In total, there are more than 30 simple retrospective examples & samples that you can use as inspiration or try out directly if you are interested.

In addition to classic retrospective templates such as the "Keep Stop Start" or the "Mad Sad Glad" retrospective, I have also listed new types of retrospectives. These retros include, for example, the Tetris Retro, the Five Agile Values Retro or the Four Seasons Retros.

But before we look at the examples and samples of retros, let's take a brief look at what characterizes a successful retrospective method:

What makes great retrospectives?

Retrospective literally means "looking back". In agile methodology, this means looking back at a team's past work period and analyzing it.

It is easier to say that you review what has happened and learn from your mistakes and successes.
So it's no wonder that one of the first and most popular retrospectives is the "What went well" retrospective, which asks these three simple questions:

  • What went well?
  • What went not so well?
  • How can we improve?

Simple and effective retrospectives are therefore characterized by the fact that they offer a framework of questions aimed at learning from the work of the past weeks. However, this can go far beyond the simple "What Went Well" method:

  • You can take a more playful approach, for example: The sailboat retrospective
  • You can expand the questions: The starfish method
  • Or you can shed light on more specific aspects of the work: The battery Retro

The variety of examples and samples of retrospectives is almost endless.

However, a first-class retrospective involves much more than just a valuable retro method. That's why I've put together a few articles here to help you deepen your knowledge:

And now let's get started with the examples of retrospectives...

9 Simple retrospective Examples & Samples - the classics

Let's start with the "best" retro techniques from the agile world – or at least with the 9 most common ones:

Simple Retrospective Example & Sample #1

1. The "What Went Well" Retrospective 👍

The "What Went Well" retrospective is the most frequently used retro technique in our tool. It is simple and effective:

Open Feedback Questions

What went well?

What went not so well?

How can we improve?

Simple Retrospective Example & Sample #2

2. The "Mad Sad Glad" Retrospective 😯

The "Mad Sad Glad" retrospective technique has a similar pattern, but places more emphasis on looking at the emotions of the individual team members.

Open Feedback Questions

What made you mad? 😤

What made you sad? 😢

What made you glad? 🤩

Fun Retrospective Example & Sample #3

3. Start Stop Keep or Start Stop Continue 🔖

The "Start Stop Keep" retrospective technique is also known as the "Start Stop Continue" retrospective. I highly recommend making it a "Keep Stop Start" retro (pay attention to the order). This way you start the retro with something positive. This has proven to be a good start:

Open Feedback Questions

Keep: What should we keep?

Stop: What should we stop doing?

Start: What should we start doing?

Fun Retrospective Example & Sample #4

4. 4 L's Retrospective technique 📘

The 4 L's stand for "Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed for".
Rumor has it that people can't agree on whether it's called the 4L Retrospective or the 4L's Retrospective.

By the way: You may notice from this retro that retrospective questions are also well suited for use in one-to-one discussions or coaching with employees. If you are also interested in this topic: Here you will find 129 one-to-one meeting (or appraisal interview) questions and Here are the 3 best one-on-one employee review tools in comparison.

Open Feedback Questions

Like: What did you like?

Learned: What did you learn?

Lacked: What did you lack?

Longed for: What did you long for?

Fun Retrospective Example & Sample #5

5. The Sailboat Retrospective ⛵️

The sailboat retrospective technique is one of the most popular symbolic retrospective techniques out there. I suppose it's because of the adventure that comes with a boat trip: 

Open Feedback Questions

⚓️ Your anchor: What holds us back?

🦈🧊 Your shark/iceberg: Which dangers or obstacles approach us?

💨 Your tailwind: What drives us forward?

🏝💰 Your paradise: What achievement or milestones are we working towards?

Fun Retrospective Example & Sample #6

6. DAKI (Drop Add Keep Improve) Retrospective ✂️

DAKI stands for "Drop Add Keep Improve". A popular retro that is a simple acronym alongside KALM Retro (Keep, Add, Less, More).
(Want to take a look at its twin, the KALM Retro? The KALM Retro with examples

Open Feedback Questions

Drop: What should we drop?

Add: What should we add?

Keep: What should we keep?

Improve: What should we improve?

Fun Retrospective Example & Sample #7

7. The Three Little Pigs Retro 🐷

A retro technique based on a fable. Here, the three little pigs build different shelters to protect themselves from the evil wolf. How stable are your performances?

Open Feedback Questions

House of straw: What do we do that is just holding together, but could topple over at any moment? 🌱

House of sticks: What do we do that is relatively stable, but could be improved? 🪵

House of bricks: What do we do that is rock solid? 🪨

Fun Retrospective Example & Sample #8

8th The Starfish Sprint Retrospective ⭐️

With its 5 questions, the starfish retro technique tends to take a little longer than other retrospective formats. It is ideal for small teams:

Open Feedback Questions

Keep: [Optional: Looking at the last sprint / weeks] What should we keep doing, keep as it is?

Stop: What should we stop doing?

Start: What should we start doing?

More: What should we do more of?

Less: What should we do less of?

Fun Retrospective Example & Sample #9

9. Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down Retro🤙

An agile retrospective technique that focuses entirely on appreciation:

Open Feedback Questions

What do you give a "thumbs up" to?

What do you give a "thumbs down" for?

Which new ideas do you have?

Who or what do you want to recognize, highlight positively?

Echometer Originals

Fun retrospective techniques your team has never seen before...

These were the most popular retro techniques and samples from the agile world. But who always wants to hold the same retro?
So here are some retrospectives that you probably haven't seen before. The "Echometer Originals":

Fun Retrospective Example & Sample #10

10. the meme retro 🤓

What used to be cartoons are now MEMEs. And with the birth of MEMEs, MEME faces were also born:

Open Feedback Questions

Me Gusta: What did you like about the last sprint?

4 Real: When did you feel really pranked in the last sprint?

I am watching you: What will you be on the lookout for in the future?

Fun Retrospective Example & Sample #11

11. The Mario Kart Retro 🚗

Not happy with your team's velocity? Then head to the race track and see what you can get out of it. This time it's both a "futurespective" and a retrospective:

As futurespective

What bananas on the track do we have to look out for?

What’s an upcoming shortcut we could take advantage of?

What powerup could we pick up to ensure our win?

As a retrospective

What shortcuts helped us win?

Which bananas did we slip on?

What was the powerup that gave us an edge?

By the way, if you want to develop your team holistically, then you also need to improve psychological safety in the team. In this video, our co-founder Christian explains 4 team and one-to-one exercises you can do to increase psychological safety.

Fun Retrospective Example & Sample #12

12. The role-playing game Retro 👨🏼‍💻

Are you longing for a level-up? Then you could look at everything more like a game: With each level (sprint), things get more difficult. But the character (our team) also develops its strengths in order to master the challenges:

Open Feedback Questions

What’s our superpower as a team?

What character class is the hero of the last sprint?

Looking at recent challenges: Which characteristics & skills should we level up as soon as possible?

What’s our next game milestone (e.g., villain to tackle)?

Optional: Who recently rolled a Nat 20 and saved the team?

Fun Retrospective Example & Sample #13

13. The Tetris Retro 👾

Still missing a puzzle piece for success? Tetris is a challenging arcade game with the aim of puzzling under pressure, so to speak. Sounds similar to work? It kind of is. The corresponding retrospective technique:

Open Feedback Questions

Which piece fit perfectly into the puzzle in the last sprint?

Which piece did not fit at all?

How many uncleared rows have already accumulated?

When was the last time we cleared multiple rows at once?

What new piece could we invent to fill a gap we have right now?

Echometer Originals

Work-Life Balance Retrospectives Samples

Hard work is not everything. This is exactly what you can express with his retrospective techniques.
How about a relaxed round around the campfire or an escape room as a team-building activity?

Fun Retrospective Example & Sample #14

14. The campfire retro🔥

You can relax around the campfire and let your mind wander.
But a fire in the office is not a good idea! But that's exactly why we developed the Campfire Retrospective:

Open Feedback Questions

Warm fire: What made you feel good in the last sprint?

Turned to ashes: What did not work as desired and crumbled to ashes?

The shooting star: What do you wish for the future?

Fun Retrospective Example & Sample #15

15. The theater retro 🎭

Sometimes work is like a theater. There is so much drama! But what role did we play in it?

Open Feedback Questions

Who was the (tragic?) hero in the last sprint and why?

At which point of the storyline did you get lost?

In which situation did you have stage fright?

Where would a prompter have been helpful?

Which role would you like to play in the future?

Sprint Retrospective Example & Sample #16

16. The escape room retro 🕵🏼

Escape rooms are a popular team building activity for a reason. They have just the right balance of "pressure" and "fun".
So if the team feels as if it is somehow stuck, it is worth breaking out of its own situation. Just like in an escape game.

Open Feedback Questions

What puzzles do we still have to solve?

Where are we running out of time?

Where could communication in the team have been better?

Which challenge did we master pretty well?

Sprint Retrospective Example & Sample #17

17. The surfer retro 🏄🏽‍♀️ 🌊

When you think of surfing, you quickly think of Hawaii, sun and flow.
But did you know that mankind's greatest achievements have all happened in a state of flow? Time to retrace it:

Open Feedback Questions

What made you fall?

When have you been able to show your skills?

What keeps you balanced?

How can you maximize the chances to catch the next wave even better?

Sprint Retrospective Example & Sample #18

18. the Michelangelo Retro 🧑🏾‍🎨 🖼

How can you ensure that your work becomes a masterpiece? Let's just ask one of the greatest artists of our time:

Open Feedback Questions

What is the big picture we are working on?

Which details should we focus on in the next weeks?

Where do we have difficulties finding the right color?

Which new brush should we use, which new approaches should we try out in the next few weeks?

Echometer Originals

A Retrospective For Every Season!

Spring, summer, fall, winter. There are not only the right clothes for different seasons and weather, but also the right retrospective techniques:

Sprint Retrospective Example & Sample #19

19. Want A Fresh Start? The Spring Retro 🌼

A new season is dawning and definitely one of the better ones. The days are getting longer and longer and slowly you can leave your jacket at home. At best, your team will blossom like the plants outside the windows. – Find out with these retro questions:

Open Feedback Questions

The first rays of sunshine: What makes us grow?

Pollen count! What should we shake off?

Not everything is a fresh start: what do we want to keep for the season?

Sprint Retrospective Example & Sample #20

20. Too Hot In The Office? The Summer Retro ⛱☀️

At its best, a sprint feels like what you imagine summer to be like. There's a positive vibe, the trees are blooming magnificently, everything is working smoothly. Nevertheless, there are some things that can make us sweat:

Open Feedback Questions

What was the ice cream, your favorite moment?

What made you sweat?

What could be a treat to cope with the summer heat in the future?

Agile Retrospective Example & Sample #21

21. Times Have Changed? The Autumn Retro 🍁

After summer inevitably comes autumn. A time of change, but also of new beginnings and gratitude. It's best to make sure you're prepared for all eventualities early on.

Open Feedback Questions

🌧🍂 On which slippery wet paths did we (almost) slip?

🌧🌈 What has been your rainbow moment (favorite moment of the sprint)?

🥜🐿 What do we need to prepare to get well through the winter? (Like squirrels prepare nuts for winter)

Agile Retrospective Example & Sample #22

22. It Runs You Ice Cold Down The Spine? The Winter Retro 🥶

Winter can be a long, hard and cold time. Or it can be a time of coziness and winter sports. Thus, it offers a lot of potential for creative questions that help you reflect on your agile sprint.

Open Feedback Questions

Snow: What have we almost forgotten under the snow blanket?

Ice: Where do we have to be careful not to slip?

Stove: What warms us up?

Anticipation: What can we hardly wait for?

Echometer Originals

How is your team doing?
Find out with Health-Check Retros!

One of the most important indicators of good performance in a team is team satisfaction. This is precisely why it makes sense to regularly check well-being in addition to project progress:

Agile Retrospective Example & Sample #23

23. Health Check Retro: Spotify Squad Health Check 👩🏻‍💻

The Spotify Health Check (based on the Spotify model) is one of the classics when it comes to frameworks to scale agile. The nice thing about it: The Spotify Health Check Retrospective can be carried out in tribes (several teams) as well as in individual teams. 

Note: This retrospective format asks for agreement with the given Health Check items on a scale.

Team Radar Tool Health Check Retrospective
  • Speed: We get stuff done really quickly. No waiting, no delays.
  • Tech Quality: We’re proud of the quality of our code! It is clean, easy to read, and has great test coverage.
  • Learning: We’re learning lots of interesting stuff all the time!
  • Mission: We know exactly why we are here, and we are really excited about it.
  • Other items (customizable)

Scrum Retrospective Example & Sample #21

24. Health Check Retro: The 5 Agile Values

The agile values and principles belong to the basics of a Scrum course. Only when you live up to them, you can reach higher agile maturity levels as a team. This health check helps you to reflect on the 5 agile Scrum values from a different perspective with your team - and to make them measurable. See below for an impression of the questions asked.

Note: This retrospective format asks for agreement with the given Health Check items on a scale.

Team Radar Tool Health Check Retrospective
  • Courage: We value people showing courage.
  • Respect: We value each other’s ideas, even when disagreeing.
  • Commitment: Every team member is committed to follow through on what they have promised.
  • Focus: We don’t allow ourselves to be distracted from reaching the sprint goal.
  • Openness: We are open to constructive feedback and grow from it.

Echometer Originals

7 Performance retrospective methods

Many retrospective methods are variations on the "what went well" retrospective. But even though these variations create a sense of variety and have been proven to increase engagement, they do not provide many new insights. This is precisely why we have developed retrospectives that solve this problem.

Scrum Retrospective Example & Sample #25

25. Agile Delivery Retrospective ⚙️

Due to the massive cost savings currently affecting many companies, the topic of "Agile Delivery" is becoming increasingly important. Use this retro to check how your team is positioned in this regard.

If you want to find out more about this trending topic, take a look at this article: Increase your agility in 2024

Health-Check questions:

These questions are answered on a scale (1-5):

We get things done really fast. No waiting, no delays.

We are able to estimate exactly what we can deliver in a given cycle and with the given resources.

Our sprint results do not require any post sprint rework to be delivered.

We limit our 'work in progress' to be focused at all times.

Open feedback questions:

When did your ways of working create a suboptimal flow of work (e.g., policies are unclear, not suitable or not adhered to)?

When has our way of working worked well?

What are recent examples for an increment that wasn't working / shippable at the end of the cycle?

Scrum Retrospective Example & Sample #26

26. Team Commitments Retrospective 🤝

The current challenges require exceptional teamwork. Check whether your team is pulling together with this retro:

Health-Check questions:

These questions are answered on a scale (1-5):

As a team, we share a common understanding of what "good work" is.

Open feedback questions:

Handling of contradictory priorities: ‘When I encounter contradictory priorities, I …’

Communication of blockers: ‘When I am stuck on a task, I announce this by …’

Navigation of conflicts: ‘When I notice a conflict start to build up in our team, I …’

working agreement sample template tool

Scrum Retrospective Example & Sample #27

27th Psychological Safety Retro 🧠

Low-conflict collaboration is crucial, especially in tough times. To achieve this, however, everyone must have the confidence to talk about points of friction before they get out of hand. Having the security of always being able to speak out in a team is also known as "psychological safety". See where you stand on this topic:

Health-Check questions:

These questions are answered on a scale (1-5):

I regularly receive useful feedback on how good my performance is and how I can improve.

If a team member makes a mistake, they are not judged for it.

You're allowed to not know things in our team.

In conflicts, we talk on a factual level, so that no one feels personally attacked or judged.

Open feedback questions:

What else do we want to talk about?

Scrum Retrospective Example & Sample #28

28. battery retrospective 🔋

Difficult times also put a strain on personal batteries. It is particularly important now to keep an eye on the team's energy levels:

Open feedback questions:

How full is your personal battery as a percentage right now?

What has drained your battery recently?

What has recharged your battery recently?

What would help you to save energy over the next few weeks?

Scrum Retrospective Example & Sample #29

29th Future-Spektive (Future Retrospective) 🔜

In rapidly changing environments, you should not only reflect on what has happened, but also dare to look into the unknown. How do you want to act in the future?

Open feedback questions:

What is the most important milestone you would like to see us achieve as a team in the next week(s)?

Which hurdle should we focus on overcoming in the coming weeks?

What would you be particularly grateful for in the coming week(s)?

Scrum Retrospective Example & Sample #30

30th bottleneck retrospective ♾️

The days of an abundance of money are over. This often results in new bottlenecks to which work must adapt:

Open feedback questions:

Our bottleneck: What is the critical part in our structures and processes that determines how much we can achieve as a team?

What options are there for eliminating this one bottleneck?

Scrum Retrospective Example & Sample #31

31st OKR Retrospective 🏹

In this retrospective, you and your team can analyze exactly how well the OKRs have been defined and implemented:

Open Feedback Questions

Which key results were achieved?

Which key results were not achieved and why?

How can key results be better formulated in the future?

Did the achievement of the key results also lead to the achievement of the objectives (overarching goal)?

Are there better key results to achieve the actual objectives?

Echometer Originals

Something different for a change? - Crazy retro templates!

Not everything has to be taken seriously:

Scrum Retrospective Example & Sample #32

32nd Alien Invasion Retrospective 👽

What would you do in the event of an alien invasion? Probably it will never happen, but it is almost certain that other unforeseen things will happen. With this you can prepare your team top.

Open Feedback Questions

New species: what things have you encountered that you didn't expect?

Alien-Tech: What took your work to new heights this week?

Armageddon: Where have you seen your work go down?

Scrum Retrospective Example & Sample #233

26. Drum Roll... The Circus Retrospective 🤡

Clear the ring for the most varied retro, which also takes place in a tent:

Open Feedback Questions

Juggler: What tasks did you have to juggle that made you sweat?

Acrobat: What helped you to align yourself more flexibly?

Magician: What would you most like to conjure up that has been missing so far?

Retrospective Examples & Samples - Conclusion

With all these retrospective samples and examples, you're sure to find the right sample for your next retro. If not, we have even more in our retro board software tool Echometer.

Retrospective Templates: Some Final Notes

If you still have retrospective examples or ideas for an agile retrospective template or want to give us feedback... – just write to us.

And if you're looking for a free online retro board software for retrospectives, you may have seen that Echometer is just that. Have fun trying out the different retro templates in our tool 😄

Most Agile Coaches and Scrum Masters run in circles...

...fixing superficial symptoms. Time to use psychology to foster sustainable mindset change.

"Many team members are afraid to speak up!"

"We discover too many unexpected issues & bugs at a late stage!"

"Why does it sometimes take me hours to prepare a simple retrospective?"

Share this article in your network

Need a team boost? Do this: The Spotify Health Check Retrospective!

First Health question: "😍 We love going to work, and have great fun working together."

Sounds good? Try our retro tool for free below.

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FAQ about the online retrospective tool

No, you do not need to log in to Echometer or register to test the Retro Board and Retro Tool in Echometer.

You can try out Echometer's Retro Board via the following link without logging in: Try a Practice Round

First, simply register for free in Echometer. Then navigate to the workspace for which you would like to purchase the retro tool. If you haven't already done so, you can do so here: Create account in Echometer 1:1 tool

You can then manage your subscription (for both the retro tool and the 1:1 software) within the workspace settings.

You can choose from various payment methods when upgrading.

If you do not have access to your company's credit card yourself, you can simply add a buyer as a workspace admin in your Echometer workspace so that this admin can carry out the upgrade for you.

In Echometer there are two separate software solutions that are available within each workspace in Echometer:

  • 1:1 tool: Software for planning and conducting 1:1 meetings and tracking employee development
  • Retrospective tool: Software for planning and moderating retrospectives and tracking team development through team health checks

Both are independent software solutions, so they can be used separately from each other.

However, they work according to the same principles and aim to achieve the same added value: The continuous improvement of agile teams. In this respect, the simultaneous use of both software solutions is recommended.

Yes, you can assign administration rights to any number of users at both team level and workspace level. Please note the following:

  • Only workspace admins can take out and manage a Echometer subscription for a Echometer workspace.
  • Only workspace admins can create additional teams and name or remove additional workspace admins.
  • Team admins can appoint and remove additional team admins and team members for their team

If an agile team does not yet have much experience with retrospectives, a tool that effectively guides you through the retrospective and offers many templates is recommended:

  • Echometer is known not only for being an intuitive online retro board, but also for offering a very effective guided flow through the retrospective. At the same time, Echometer offers whiteboards that can be flexibly integrated into the retrospective. This makes Echometer very beginner-friendly.
  • Echometer also has extremely versatile and creative templates for retrospectives and team Health Checks that stimulate team reflection. Inexperienced teams in particular are very grateful for the food for thought in Echometer.

This makes Echometer the best software recommendation for beginners with agile retrospectives or Scrum beginners. By the way, you can try out Echometer for free without logging in: Echometer Try out the retro tool

Yes, you can collect and measure the eNPS (Employee Net Promoter Score) in Echometer's Health Checks and surveys for retrospectives.

The eNPS can be evaluated in Echometer both at team level and across teams. For example, you can use the heat map in the Workspace Health Dashboard for cross-team evaluation.

The Echometer Retrospective software is designed to guide teams through the retrospective process with maximum ease and effectiveness, following best practices.

The steps and their sequence can be customized using the navigation within the retro. By default, a retrospective in Echometer is structured in this way:

  • Icebreaker
  • Review of open measures from past retros
  • Collect feedback (first Health Checks, then open questions)
  • Prioritization of feedback
  • Deriving action items
  • Conclusion of the retrospective with the "ROTI score" (Return on Time Invested)

Additional whiteboards (e.g. for workshops, for analyzing problems or for brainstorming measures) can also be added spontaneously at any point using the Retrospective navigation.

Yes, the Echometer Retrospective Tool offers various export options for retrospectives.

The most popular method is to generate a PDF that contains the feedback, the votes from the prioritization and the measures of the retrospective. It is also possible to share the retrospective via a sharing link.

A summary of the retrospective is also automatically sent to other participants by email after the retrospective, provided they are registered as team members in the team.

Yes, the online retrospective tool Echometer is one of the few retrospective software tools that also optimally supports the recording and tracking of measures:

  • Integration: You can also record measures directly in Jira via an integration.
  • Automatic follow-up: All open measures from past retros appear automatically in the measure review of the next retrospective for tracking purposes. This gives the team an overview of which measures are currently still open and creates a commitment to implementing the agreed measures.
  • Reminders: Measures are assigned to a person responsible, who automatically receives a reminder email when the measure is created so that the measure is not forgotten. In addition, each participant can flexibly receive action reminders via email and manage the action status at any time in the Echometer Retro Tool.

This means that Echometer's tool for team retrospectives has extensive and well thought-out functions for action tracking.

Yes, Echometer allows grouping and prioritizing (voting on points) of feedback on the Retrospective Board.

All participants can simply drag and drop cards onto each other and group them together.

There are 2 modes for prioritizing:

  • In "Live Voting" (the recommended mode), the moderator selects how many votes each participant should have and then starts the hidden voting. As soon as all votes have been cast, the moderator can close the live voting. During the voting, you can see how many votes are still to be awarded. After the voting is closed, the cards in the columns are automatically sorted in descending order so that the cards with the most votes are at the top.
  • In "Facilitated Voting" mode, the moderator simply selects how many votes are allocated to each topic. This mode is only necessary in exceptional cases.

Feedback can be optimally processed in the team using Echometer and the measures derived from it can also be easily recorded in Echometer in direct connection with the feedback.

Yes, with the online retrospective software Echometer you can collect asynchronous feedback on the retrospective in advance via a survey.

This means that obtaining feedback is asynchronous and you can make the most of the time spent together in retrospect.

Yes, absolutely: The online retrospective software Echometer is optimized for distributed teams working remotely and includes various options for interacting with each other in real time.

Both the retrospectives and the whiteboards are synchronized in real time for all participants and you can also optionally display your colleagues' cursors.

Yes, the online retrospective tool Echometer is a free tool that you can try out without logging in.

You can get started right away using this link: Echometer Retro Tool without login.

To invite other participants to your online retrospective in Echometer, you will need to register. Participants only need to enter their email address to join the retrospective, but do not need to log in.

After the retrospective, participants can optionally log in to access the summary even after the retrospective has ended.

Yes, Echometer offers many high-quality templates for retrospectives and the respective steps of a retrospective.

Echometer is the retrospective software tool with probably the most integrated retrospective template ideas and patterns:

  • The retro templates in Echometer contain sample questions for the retro board. These are often creatively based on specific topics in –, such as the "Kart racing retrospective" or the "Time travel retrospective".
  • Some retro templates also contain templates for Health Checks. For example, to measure the Spotify Health Check or psychological safety in the team.
  • When creating a team, you can choose from various team templates for management teams or scrum teams, for example. The team templates then put together a suitable team Health Check for the team.
  • For icebreakers in the retrospective, Echometer has over 50 ideas for sample questions that can be used spontaneously and randomly in a retrospective via a random generator.
  • And then there are whiteboard templates in Echometer, which contain ideas for check-ins, team building and the development of measures.

One of the greatest strengths of the Echometer Retro Tool are the various templates for retrospectives, which can be used as patterns for the creative design of your own retrospectives.

Here is a short list of the samples as an insight into the retrospective templates:

  • Happy, Wondering, Sad
  • Three Little Pigs
  • Team Morale Health Check
  • Easter and Christmas retrospective templates
  • DORA Retrospective
  • 5 agile values Health Check
  • Spotify Squad Health Check Radar
  • Psychological safety Health Check
  • DORA Retrospective
  • Unique retrospective templates such as the "7 Dwarfs Retrospective" or the "Football Retrospective"

If you are interested in the Retrospective Tools templates, take a quick look at the tool: Echometer Retro Templates & Templates

Yes, Echometer is an online tool for retrospectives that offers Jira integration.

With the Jira integration in Echometer, measures from Echometer can be created in Jira boards with a single click.

This makes Echometer a good retrospective software tool if your team is already using Jira.

Echometer is not available in the Atlassian Marketplace, but as separate software via my.echometerapp.com callable.

Yes, Echometer can be called a starfish retrospective tool, because with Echometer you can easily perform the starfish retrospective on an interactive online retrospective board.

Hot tip: If you are interested in the Starfish Retrospective, take a quick look at Echometer. Because the special thing about Echometer is that you can try out the starfish retrospective immediately (time-saving, without logging in) at this link: Echometer Starfish Retrospective Access without login

The Echometer Sprint Retrospective software has very extensive features, both for beginners and experts. The following features form the core of the tool:

  • Structured retrospective flow with integrated whiteboards for flexible brainstorming on individual focus topics
  • Retrospective board for brainstorming, presenting, grouping and voting with live collaboration
  • Moderator tools such as a timer, anonymity settings and control over the agenda step (focused for all participants)
  • Integrated tracking of measures from past retrospectives with automatic resubmission and incl. Jira integration
  • Unbiased brainstorming: Concealed cards on the retro board as well as on the integrated whiteboards prevent participants from influencing each other during the brainstorming session.
  • Simple, quick setup of the tool: Many users report that they were able to start their first retrospective in less than 10 minutes.

The following features are Echometer's unique selling points that are relevant for experienced Scrum Masters and team leaders:

  • Dashboard with retrospective history, including duration of the retrospective, number of participants and ROTI score
  • PDF and Markdown export of the retrospective after completion
  • The retrospective can take place asynchronously (e.g. also via a survey that is sent out before the retro) or in real time
  • Anonymous feedback via survey or on the Retrospective Board
  • Anonymous voting and prioritization of feedback on the retrospective board by awarding points
  • Query or measurement of the "ROTI score" (i.e. Return on Time Invested) after the retrospective for continuous evaluation and improvement of the retrospective by team members
  • Creation of Health Check surveys or pulse surveys as a happiness check and mood barometer in order to recognize trends (e.g. increasing dissatisfaction) in the team at an early stage
  • Health Check KPIs and agile metrics in the analysis dashboard including history
  • Health Check Surveys or pulse surveys also possible across teams

The Echometer Retrospective Tool offers the following features for retrospective template ideas, questions and samples:

  • 50+ Retrospective Template Ideas including Keep Stop Start, Happy Wondering Sad and the Starfish Retrospective
  • 200+ Retrospective Health Check questions and templates
  • Retrospective Icebreaker Library with 50+ fun retrospective check-ins to promote psychological safety and team spirit etc.
  • Whiteboard templates for visual, interactive retrospective icebreakers (including seasonal highlights for e.g. Easter and Christmas)
  • Whiteboard templates to structure and facilitate the creation of measures

Yes, the retrospective software tool Echometer is easy to use even for beginners who are not yet familiar with retrospectives.

Many users report that they were able to conduct their first retrospective in Echometer in less than 10 minutes of preparation - – in no time at all! Even users who are less tech-savvy can join the retrospectives in just a few simple steps.

Thanks to the structured process in Echometer, conducting the retrospective is also very easy. Setting up the Health Check is also not complex and does not require a large learning curve – you can get started very quickly.

On the testimonial page of Echometer you will find numerous confirmed user reviews: Echometer Testimonials

Echometer is the best software tool for retrospectives compared to alternative retrospective software tools such as Retrium, EasyRetro, Reetro, Neetro and TeamRetro for three reasons:

  1. Large selection of creative templates for retrospectives: Users of Echometer confirm that Echometer has a uniquely wide range of retro board ideas.
  2. Echometer has a simple and intuitive structure for retrospectives that guides teams through retrospectives using best practices. This also makes Echometer very beginner-friendly.
  3. Echometer offers a generous free version.

Users of Echometer particularly appreciate the unique function of Echometer to insert Health Checks into their agile retrospectives: These agile Health Checks make a massive contribution to stimulating team reflection and actively involving every team member in the retrospective.

To summarize, even alternative retrospective software tools such as Parabol do not have the unique features of the Echometer retrospective tool, which are both simple and effective. Therefore, it can be said that Echometer is the best software app for conducting agile sprint retrospective meetings.

Yes, in Echometer you can get anonymous feedback from the team.

Echometer is one of the few online retrospective tools that can be used to collect feedback anonymously.

In Echometer, feedback can even be collected anonymously before the retrospective via asynchronous surveys, which is unique among online retrospective tools and distinguishes Echometer positively from tools such as the retrospective software Parabol.

Yes, Echometer offers a generous free version of the online retro tool that can be used permanently free of charge for one team. This includes all functions for team retrospectives.

You only have to switch to a paid version for additional functions such as SSO, multiple teams or an unlimited number of retrospectives.

Further information on the variants of Echometer's retro tool can be found on the pricing page here: Retro-Tool Price List

The greatest strengths of the Echometer retrospective tool are its impact on time savings, participant engagement and productivity.

  • With hundreds of ideas for retrospective templates in combination with the integrated surveys, Echometer makes it very easy to prepare great retrospectives in just a few minutes.
  • Thanks to the guided steps and the playful and interactive retrospective board, implementation is child's play, focused and results-oriented at the same time.
  • The integrated tracking of measures and team health makes it easier to recognize trends in the team at an early stage and ensure that measures from retrospectives are not forgotten

Combined with the unique features of the agile Health Checks and flexible whiteboards, Echometer is one of the best, if not the best, retrospective tool on the market, even better than the better-known Parabol retrospective tool.

Yes, Echometer's retro tool is technically secure and GDPR-compliant.

Several European financial institutions and insurance companies have chosen to purchase Echometer's retrospective tools over other alternatives due to strict regulatory requirements.

The data is stored and securely processed in Germany. The contract for commissioned data processing with details on the technical and organizational security measures of Echometer's processing can be viewed here: https://echometerapp.com/gdpr-and-security/

Echometer's tool for retrospectives offers the following integrations:

  • Jira (for easy tracking of measures from retrospectives in Jira boards)
  • Google login
  • SSO (only in paid version)

Echometer are particularly positive about the increase in the effectiveness of retrospectives and the improved measurability of team development through Echometer.

Here are some officially confirmed quotes from users and customers of the Echometer software tool, all of whom hold leadership positions in agile teams:

Duane Hill, Scrum Master Coach:

  • "Echometer is like a combination of Miro and a really smart retro board. It even provides metrics on the effectiveness of my coaching so I can easily spot trends in team development. I really love this tool – highly recommended for anyone who wants to make their retrospectives more effective!"

Lena Tölke, Agile Coach at Deutsche Bahn Sales:

  • "Thanks to the targeted questions in Echometer, we keep coming up with new insights for our further development in retrospectives and can make these transparent and measurable for all team members."

Clemens Schöne, Scrum Master at Communardo Products:

  • "Echometer is like the combination of Mural and EasyRetro – I am thrilled! With Echometer, remote retros can work much better and even be fun!"

Patrick Böttcher-Exner, management position at Relaxdays GmbH:

  • "One major advantage is that Echometer allows us to carry out and track both remote and on-site retrospectives in one tool."

Carina McLane, Senior Software Developer at Volvo:

  • "As a Scrum Master, it's not about the tools, but this one really makes the work a lot more enjoyable. After two years of experience with Echometer, I can recommend it to anyone who wants to enrich their retrospectives and understand their team better!"

Echometer is the perfect retrospective software tool for busy team managers, team leaders, engineering managers, but also scrum masters and Agile coaches in distributed or hybrid agile teams ("remote teams").

Users particularly appreciate how much time the tool saves for retrospective moderators and how it increases the engagement of participants in the retrospective. Therefore, people who value time savings, retrospective effectiveness and engagement benefit most from the functions of Echometer.

In addition, Echometer offers an easy, playful introduction to retrospectives and is therefore particularly suitable for teams that do not yet have much experience with retrospectives or are just starting out with agile working methods.

The Echometer retrospective software works as follows:

  • Simple preparation of retrospectives using templates for retro formats, surveys and whiteboards
  • Intuitive and step-by-step implementation of retrospectives. Possible both online and on-site. Simply use the QR code on site so that participants can take part via their smartphone with the Mobile Companion app.
  • Automatic follow-up through export functions and integrated tracking of developments and measures including retro archive.

The implementation of a retrospective in Echometer is as follows:

  • The retrospective board allows the agile team to start with a fun welcome screen where they can wait for the rest of the team while playing an interactive game.
  • Once all participants of the retrospective have arrived, continue with an icebreaker question. Echometer has several icebreaker question templates, including both open-ended questions and visual whiteboard templates with workshops and small games.
  • After the icebreaker, you reach the screen for tracking measures: Here, the team reviews the open actions from past retrospectives and decides whether to keep, close or discard the actions. This step is unique to Echometer and significantly improves the quality of the continuous improvement process of agile teams.
  • Then it's on to Team Health Check: all team members answer various questions, for example a question about satisfaction in the team or questions about psychological safety. This type of question increases engagement in the retrospective, even with introverted team members, as well as the creation of agile KPIs to track the mood in the team over time.
  • Then you continue with the retrospective board, where everyone can leave anonymous feedback on open questions – if this has not already been done in advance via a survey. There are hundreds of retrospective templates for different retrospectives on the Echometer retrospective board.
  • Feedback is first written face down on the retro board so that the participants do not influence each other. The moderator can then reveal the feedback column by column.
  • Once the feedback on the retro board has been uncovered, presented to the team and any queries about feedback have been clarified, the prioritization, i.e. the voting, can continue.
  • Voting in Echometer is anonymous. During the voting process, you can see how many votes have already been cast and how many are still open.
  • At on-site retrospectives, you can also vote using your smartphone.
  • As soon as the voting is complete, you can derive measures. To do this, you can either create a measure directly for the feedback or open the feedback on a new whiteboard to analyze the problem in more detail and brainstorm ideas for measures.
  • The brainstorming of measures on a separate whiteboard within the retro is a point of differentiation for Echometer compared to other tools for retrospectives such as Parabol. In Echometer, you can create a separate whiteboard for each topic within the retro and thus optimally control the focus of the discussion.
  • Finally, Echometer enables the retrospective to be concluded by anonymously asking the entire team about the ROTI score on a scale of 0 to 10 (i.e. the "Return on Time Invested"): This helps the team and in particular the retrospective moderator to continuously improve the quality of the retrospectives within the team itself.

Given this unique, structured and flexible retrospective process, combined with the range of functions, Echometer is often described as the best tool for agile retrospectives.

Further questions?