6 Fun Thanksgiving Retrospective Ideas for Agile Teams
Celebrating ‘The Feast of Gratitude’ with a Thanksgiving retrospective even in the work team? Good idea actually, because after all, the basic idea fits well with an agile retrospective: Pausing, appreciating the status quo and reflecting.
To conduct the perfect Thanksgiving sprint retrospective (whether in Scrum or Kanban teams), you should preferably not only ask the right retrospective questions. In addition, you can also try to incorporate the traditions of Thanksgiving into the agile retrospective idea.
Icebreaker questions at the beginning of the meeting, for example, are a good way to do this. These can be general in nature, or specific to Thanksgiving retrospectives (More on: Thanksgiving).
Icebreaker questions for your Thanksgiving retrospective idea
A few good general meeting icebreakers for your agile Thanksgiving retrospective:
- What’s giving you energy and joy at the moment?
- What was the best moment of your day yesterday?
- What’s been a big news (think of newspapers, TV etc.) lately that you are positively excited about?
- If your last week (alternatively: our last Scrum Sprint) was a movie – what would be the title?
A few interesting Icebreaker questions specifically for Thanksgiving that can be used differently in agile Thanksgiving retrospective methods:
- When was the last time you said “thank you” to a teammate? Name the situation. If you haven’t expressed your gratitude yet, do it now.
- Guessing Question: According to the Guinness Book of World Records, how much does the heaviest turkey ever weigh? (Answer: 86 pounds)
- The most creative answer wins: What did President Calvin Coolidge receive as a Thanksgiving gift in 1926? (Actual answer: a live raccoon that was supposed to be Thanksgiving dinner. However, he was pardoned by the president and adopted as a pet).
- Guessing Question: How many turkeys do Americans prepare each year for Thanksgiving? (Answer: 46 million)
Hopefully, these ideas will give you enough inspiration to kick off your Thanksgiving Retrospective idea appropriately. If you’re interested in more agile retrospective icebreaker questions, feel free to check out our article on it: 21 clever, creative retrospective check-ins that will break any ice .
The best Thanksgiving retrospective: 6 ideas
After the retrospective meeting has been appropriately introduced, it is of course important to ask the right open questions. Various retrospective methods are suitable for this purpose. In the following, we have recorded five retrospective ideas for remote teams (or office or hybrid teams). Some of these are very closely tied to the Thanksgiving tradition, but some are not.
Agile Thanksgiving Retrospective Ideas
Celebrating Thanksgiving: The Classic Thanksgiving Retrospective 🐔
This Thanksgiving Retrospective takes some of the basic ideas of Thanksgiving and asks some creative questions based on them. The team should have a sense of metaphor if you decide to go with this retro idea.
Thanksgiving Retrospective 🦃: So läuft die Retro ab
-
Random Icebreaker (2-5 minutes)
Echometer provides you with a generator for random check-in questions.
-
Review of open actions (2-5 minutes)
Before starting with new topics, you should talk about what has become of the measures from past retrospectives to check their effectiveness. Echometer automatically lists all open action items from past retros.
-
Discuss retro topics
Use the following open questions to collect your most important findings. First, everyone does it themselves, covered. Echometer allows you to reveal each column of the retro board individually in order to then present and group the feedback.
- 🌾 Harvest: What circumstances influenced our harvest this sprint?
- 🙏 Thanks: What are you personally thankful for this sprint?
- 🤲 Sharing: How can you support others with your resources (knowledge, skills, decision-making power, etc.)?
- 🥳 Celebrate: Who should we invite to our Thanksgiving feast? (Think about other teams or outside supporters*).
-
Catch-all Frage (Empfohlen)
Damit auch sonstige Themen einen Platz haben:
- Über was möchtest du sonst noch in der Retro reden?
-
Prioritization / Voting (5 minutes)
On the retro board in Echometer, you can easily prioritize the feedback with voting. The voting is of course anonymous.
-
Define actions (10-20 minutes)
You can create a linked action via the plus symbol on a feedback. Not sure which measure would be the right one? Then open a whiteboard on the topic via the plus symbol instead to brainstorm root causes and possible measures.
-
Checkout / Closing (5 minutes)
Echometer enables you to collect anonymous feedback from the team on how helpful the retro was. This creates the ROTI score ("Return On Time Invested"), which you can track over time.
Thanksgiving Retrospective 🦃
Agile Thanksgiving Retrospective Ideas
Friendsgiving: A Simple and Fun Thanksgiving Retrospective 👯♀️
Thanksgiving sometimes turns into Friendsgiving: you get together with your friends to celebrate the holiday with a little fresh cider. And then, when the turkey is burning in the oven, the ups and downs almost feel like the last Scrum Sprint. We can use that as a template with the following fun Thanksgiving retrospective.
Thanksgiving Retrospective 🦃: So läuft die Retro ab
-
Random Icebreaker (2-5 minutes)
Echometer provides you with a generator for random check-in questions.
-
Review of open actions (2-5 minutes)
Before starting with new topics, you should talk about what has become of the measures from past retrospectives to check their effectiveness. Echometer automatically lists all open action items from past retros.
-
Discuss retro topics
Use the following open questions to collect your most important findings. First, everyone does it themselves, covered. Echometer allows you to reveal each column of the retro board individually in order to then present and group the feedback.
- Friendsgiving: What are some examples of good teamwork in recent weeks?
- Apple cider: what has sweetened our last weeks?
- Burnt turkey: What hasn't gone so well in the last few weeks?
-
Catch-all Frage (Empfohlen)
Damit auch sonstige Themen einen Platz haben:
- Über was möchtest du sonst noch in der Retro reden?
-
Prioritization / Voting (5 minutes)
On the retro board in Echometer, you can easily prioritize the feedback with voting. The voting is of course anonymous.
-
Define actions (10-20 minutes)
You can create a linked action via the plus symbol on a feedback. Not sure which measure would be the right one? Then open a whiteboard on the topic via the plus symbol instead to brainstorm root causes and possible measures.
-
Checkout / Closing (5 minutes)
Echometer enables you to collect anonymous feedback from the team on how helpful the retro was. This creates the ROTI score ("Return On Time Invested"), which you can track over time.
Thanksgiving Retrospective 🦃
Agile Thanksgiving Retrospective Ideas
Celebrating the Thanksgiving Season: The Fall Retrospective 🎈
Thanksgiving is often associated with the landscape changing: The golden-brown autumn is awakening. This metaphor can also be used well as a Thanksgiving retrospective. The last question in particular should generate some interesting action item ideas.
Autumn Retro: So läuft die Retro ab
-
Random Icebreaker (2-5 minutes)
Echometer provides you with a generator for random check-in questions.
-
Review of open actions (2-5 minutes)
Before starting with new topics, you should talk about what has become of the measures from past retrospectives to check their effectiveness. Echometer automatically lists all open action items from past retros.
-
Discuss retro topics
Use the following open questions to collect your most important findings. First, everyone does it themselves, covered. Echometer allows you to reveal each column of the retro board individually in order to then present and group the feedback.
- 🌧🍂 On which slippery wet paths did we (almost) slip?
- 🌧🌈 What was 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)
-
Catch-all Frage (Empfohlen)
Damit auch sonstige Themen einen Platz haben:
- Über was möchtest du sonst noch in der Retro reden?
-
Prioritization / Voting (5 minutes)
On the retro board in Echometer, you can easily prioritize the feedback with voting. The voting is of course anonymous.
-
Define actions (10-20 minutes)
You can create a linked action via the plus symbol on a feedback. Not sure which measure would be the right one? Then open a whiteboard on the topic via the plus symbol instead to brainstorm root causes and possible measures.
-
Checkout / Closing (5 minutes)
Echometer enables you to collect anonymous feedback from the team on how helpful the retro was. This creates the ROTI score ("Return On Time Invested"), which you can track over time.
Autumn Retro
Agile Thanksgiving Retrospective Template
Gathering new energy on Thanksgiving: The battery retrospective 🔋
Receiving a few words of thanks at the right time and in the right place can work wonders, or cause your personal energy level to rise rapidly. In this respect, the battery retrospective is also suitable for Thanksgiving: you can reflect on your own battery level and recharge it.
Battery Retrospective: So läuft die Retro ab
-
Random Icebreaker (2-5 minutes)
Echometer provides you with a generator for random check-in questions.
-
Review of open actions (2-5 minutes)
Before starting with new topics, you should talk about what has become of the measures from past retrospectives to check their effectiveness. Echometer automatically lists all open action items from past retros.
-
Discuss retro topics
Use the following open questions to collect your most important findings. First, everyone does it themselves, covered. Echometer allows you to reveal each column of the retro board individually in order to then present and group the feedback.
- What is the current charge status of your personal battery in percent?
- What has drained your battery lately?
- What has charged your battery lately?
- What would help you save energy in the coming weeks?
-
Catch-all Frage (Empfohlen)
Damit auch sonstige Themen einen Platz haben:
- Über was möchtest du sonst noch in der Retro reden?
-
Prioritization / Voting (5 minutes)
On the retro board in Echometer, you can easily prioritize the feedback with voting. The voting is of course anonymous.
-
Define actions (10-20 minutes)
You can create a linked action via the plus symbol on a feedback. Not sure which measure would be the right one? Then open a whiteboard on the topic via the plus symbol instead to brainstorm root causes and possible measures.
-
Checkout / Closing (5 minutes)
Echometer enables you to collect anonymous feedback from the team on how helpful the retro was. This creates the ROTI score ("Return On Time Invested"), which you can track over time.
Battery Retrospective
Agile Thanksgiving Retrospective Template
Reaping the fruits of labor: The Farm Retrospective 🌾
Agile teams often forget what they have actually accomplished. And how much they may be reaping the fruits of the labor they sowed a few months ago. This is something you can and should remember on a regular basis, for example with the following Thanksgiving Retrospective.
Gardener Retro: So läuft die Retro ab
-
Random Icebreaker (2-5 minutes)
Echometer provides you with a generator for random check-in questions.
-
Review of open actions (2-5 minutes)
Before starting with new topics, you should talk about what has become of the measures from past retrospectives to check their effectiveness. Echometer automatically lists all open action items from past retros.
-
Discuss retro topics
Use the following open questions to collect your most important findings. First, everyone does it themselves, covered. Echometer allows you to reveal each column of the retro board individually in order to then present and group the feedback.
- 🌱 What was sown? (newly started topics)
- 🌾 What has already been harvested? (already achieved milestones or goals)
- 🐞 What vermin did we have to watch out for? (potential dangers)
- 🌪 How did the weather affect our harvest? (external factors beyond control)
-
Catch-all Frage (Empfohlen)
Damit auch sonstige Themen einen Platz haben:
- Über was möchtest du sonst noch in der Retro reden?
-
Prioritization / Voting (5 minutes)
On the retro board in Echometer, you can easily prioritize the feedback with voting. The voting is of course anonymous.
-
Define actions (10-20 minutes)
You can create a linked action via the plus symbol on a feedback. Not sure which measure would be the right one? Then open a whiteboard on the topic via the plus symbol instead to brainstorm root causes and possible measures.
-
Checkout / Closing (5 minutes)
Echometer enables you to collect anonymous feedback from the team on how helpful the retro was. This creates the ROTI score ("Return On Time Invested"), which you can track over time.
Gardener Retro
Agile Thanksgiving Retrospective Template
Using Thanksgiving to Reflect: The 5 Agile Values Retrospective 5️⃣
The following retrospective idea is not closely tied to Thanksgiving, but can still be good for this day of pause. In this template, you reflect on the 5 agile values using concrete statements (so-called Health Check items). Each team member votes (anonymously at best) how much he or she agrees. Afterwards, you reflect on where there is potential for improvement. Of course, you can also try this out directly in our Echometer Retrospective Tool.
5 Agile Values Health Check 5️⃣: So läuft die Retro ab
-
Random Icebreaker (2-5 minutes)
Echometer provides you with a generator for random check-in questions.
-
Review of open actions (2-5 minutes)
Before starting with new topics, you should talk about what has become of the measures from past retrospectives to check their effectiveness. Echometer automatically lists all open action items from past retros.
-
Health Check
All team members can answer the health checks anonymously on a scale. Then go through the results of the health checks together and record any additional comments if necessary. If you use the same health checks in several retrospectives, you can also track trends over time in Echometer.
- 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.
-
Discuss retro topics
Use the following open questions to collect your most important findings. First, everyone does it themselves, covered. Echometer allows you to reveal each column of the retro board individually in order to then present and group the feedback.
-
Catch-all Frage (Empfohlen)
Damit auch sonstige Themen einen Platz haben:
- Über was möchtest du sonst noch in der Retro reden?
-
Prioritization / Voting (5 minutes)
On the retro board in Echometer, you can easily prioritize the feedback with voting. The voting is of course anonymous.
-
Define actions (10-20 minutes)
You can create a linked action via the plus symbol on a feedback. Not sure which measure would be the right one? Then open a whiteboard on the topic via the plus symbol instead to brainstorm root causes and possible measures.
-
Checkout / Closing (5 minutes)
Echometer enables you to collect anonymous feedback from the team on how helpful the retro was. This creates the ROTI score ("Return On Time Invested"), which you can track over time.
5 Agile Values Health Check 5️⃣
Health Check Questions (Scale)
Conclusion: Thanksgiving Retrospective Ideas
There are different traditions and ways to celebrate Thanksgiving. And just as there are different Thanksgiving retrospective ideas. Each team has to know for themselves which method - whether more creative or simple - suits their own Thanksgiving retrospective.
One thing should not be forgotten: Deriving and tracking action items in retrospectives. Our agile retrospective tool can help you a lot with your retrospective and also the tracking of actions. Feel free to have a look at our comparison: The 7 best retrospective tools .
These retrospective ideas should provide a little inspiration. If you’re still open to more retrospective ideas for Christmas and New Year, you’ll find them here: 12 Retrospective Ideas for Winter, Christmas and New Year .
Otherwise, it should be obvious that there are many more sprint retrospective ideas in our blog - just have a look around 🙂.
For managers: 1:1 meeting templates
In addition to a healthy team retrospective, self-reflection at an individual level is also key. Perhaps you have already established regular one-to-one meetings with your team members?
If so, then I highly recommend trying out our free one-on-one tool Echometer. Finally, your team member is engaged in the conversation through our templates - and incidentally, their development becomes measurable in numbers. Feel free to try it out by simply using one of our templates as a basis:
No small talk, no awkward pauses. 🥱 This 1:1 template simply always works.
💬 From the template:
- What achievement are you proud of that I may not have noticed?
- What small change would immediately improve your work?
- What would you like to take more time for at work?
…
