10 Agile Retrospective Examples You Can Host with Beekast

Looking for an agile retrospective example for your next meeting sprint? You’ve found the best resource!

Running an agile retrospective sounds simple. Gather the team, reflect on what worked and what didn’t, and make improvements. But when you’re actually in the room (or on the call), it’s easy to get stuck. What questions should you ask? How do you keep the conversation productive? And most importantly, how do you make sure the insights turn into real action?

This guide cuts through the noise with ready-to-use templates and examples of retrospectives so you can get started fast. Whether you’re leading your first agile session or refining your process, these proven formats will help you run efficient, engaging, and action-driven meetings.

What is an Agile Retrospective?

An agile retrospective is a team check-in at the end of a sprint or project to review the work, identify what worked and what didn’t, and determine how to improve next time. It’s all about open discussion, learning from experience, and making small tweaks to improve collaboration.

Think of it as a regular tune-up for your team—helping you celebrate wins, tackle challenges, and keep improving without getting stuck in the same old patterns. A typical retro usually follows this flow:

Set the stage: get everyone in the right mindset to share.
Gather insights: what went well? What didn’t?
Identify improvements: where can we do better?
Decide on actions: pick a few key things to change.
Wrap up: summarize takeaways and next steps.

Done right, retrospectives help agile teams stay engaged, productive, and always evolving.

The Most Common Examples of Agile Retrospectives in the Workplace

Agile retrospectives are a staple in modern workplaces, helping teams reflect, adapt, and continuously improve. But running the same format every time can get stale. To keep things fresh and productive, teams use different retrospective styles depending on their goals.

Here are some of the most common examples used in Agile teams to spark better discussions and drive meaningful change.

1. Start, Stop, Continue

You know those moments when a sprint feels like it just goes around in circles, and you’re not sure what to improve? The Start, Stop, Continue retrospective cuts through the noise by giving everyone a clear framework to assess what’s helping and what’s hindering progress.

Start: identify new actions or ideas that could help your team move forward.
Stop: eliminate outdated practices that are draining energy or resources.
Continue: celebrate the things that are working well.

With just three categories, this retrospective helps the team quickly assess what’s working, what isn’t, and what needs fresh energy. It’s perfect when you want quick feedback and actionable next steps to improve future sprints.

Pro Tip: Use Beekast’s Starfish template to sort out what the team wants more of and what they could do less of.

2. Mad, Sad, Glad

If your team has been through a tough sprint or there’s a bit of tension in the air, the Mad, Sad, Glad retrospective is a great way to unpack those feelings and get everyone on the same page. You might uncover hidden frustrations, missed opportunities, or even moments worth celebrating.

Mad: what frustrated you during the sprint?
Sad: what did you wish went differently?
Glad: what made you proud or excited?

This retrospective isn’t just about identifying process issues — it’s about getting to the emotional side of things. It’s an effective way to uncover concerns you might not have noticed and reinforce team spirit by recognizing the wins, big or small.

3. 4Ls: Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed For

Looking for a retrospective that promotes growth while addressing areas for improvement? The 4Ls model is a thoughtful way to help the team reflect deeply on the sprint. More than fixing problems, it’s about acknowledging what’s been accomplished and where there’s room to level up.

Liked: what aspects of the sprint did you enjoy the most?
Learned: what new skills, processes, or insights did you gain?
Lacked: what resources, tools, or support were missing?
Longed For: what would’ve made things easier or more enjoyable?

This retrospective format encourages team members to look beyond surface-level issues and dig into the personal and collective growth that took place during the sprint. It’s especially useful for teams that want to foster a learning culture and adapt more quickly to challenges.

4. Sailboat Retrospective

The Sailboat Retrospective is a fun, metaphor-driven approach that helps teams visualize their sprint’s progress while discussing obstacles and risks. It uses metaphor to make it easier to talk about progress and challenges, especially when things feel abstract.

Wind: what helped us make progress?
Anchors: what slowed us down?
Rocks: what potential obstacles or risks do we need to watch out for?
Treasure: what were the key wins or moments of success?

Visualizing the sprint as a journey helps your team reflect on both the positive forces at play (wind) and the things that hold them back (anchors). The rocks represent future risks, while the treasure celebrates victories. It’s a dynamic way to engage the team and identify risks and rewards in a format that feels more creative.

Pro tip: Use Beekast’s Speedboat activity to identify what’s propelling the team forward and what’s holding them back, making it easier to remove obstacles and accelerate progress.

5. Drop, Add, Keep, Improve (DAKI)

If your team is looking for ways to incrementally improve — whether by refining workflows, introducing new practices, or eliminating unproductive habits — the DAKI retrospective is a great way to drill down into actionable improvements.

Drop: what’s not serving the team and needs to be let go?
Add: what new practices or tools could make a difference?
Keep: what’s working well and should be maintained?
Improve: what could be better with small adjustments?

This retrospective works well for teams that are already functioning but want to optimize their processes and practices. It focuses on fine-tuning what’s already in motion rather than making big overhauls.

Pro tip: Beekast’s DAKI template helps teams quickly identify what to drop, add, keep, and improve, making retrospectives more focused and actionable.

6. The Hot Air Balloon

If your team feels bogged down or weighed down by various issues, the Hot Air Balloon retrospective is a lighthearted but insightful way to get to the root of things. This metaphor helps visualize both positive influences and blockers clearly.

Balloon: what helped us rise above the challenges this sprint?
Sandbags: what held us back or weighed us down?\
Storms: what challenges or obstacles did we face?
Sun: what kept us motivated and focused?

This format is great for teams that need a more playful yet deep way to explore the sprint’s ups and downs. It’s especially useful for highlighting how external and internal factors have influenced performance.

Pro tip: Beekast’s hot air balloon is a fun activity that facilitates a forward planning brainstorming session.

7. Lean Coffee

If your team thrives on open dialogue and prioritization, the Lean Coffee retrospective is worth a try. This format allows everyone to suggest topics, vote on what to discuss, and then time-box each conversation to ensure efficiency.

Team members propose topics to discuss.
Each topic is voted on to prioritize the most pressing issues.
Time-boxed discussions make sure each topic gets its due attention without dragging on.

This approach is great for teams with diverse interests or lots of ongoing issues to tackle. It encourages an open conversation and ensures that everyone’s voice is heard.

8. The Timeline Retrospective

Sometimes, seeing the sprint laid out over a timeline can offer invaluable insights into trends and patterns. The Timeline Retrospective is perfect for teams that want to review the sprint chronologically.

Team members add key events to a visual timeline.
Look for patterns, trends, or recurring problems that might inform the next sprint.
Reflect on what went well at each stage and what needs to change.

A visual sprint timeline helps teams spot patterns and make smarter, data-driven decisions for future sprints. It’s a great way to learn from what happened during the sprint.

9. The Appreciation Agile Retrospective Example

When your team needs a boost or you want to close the sprint on a positive note, the Appreciation Retrospective is perfect. It allows each team member to express gratitude and recognition for their peers, which can foster stronger relationships and a more collaborative culture.

Team members take turns appreciating one another’s contributions, big or small.
It’s all about reinforcing positive behavior and boosting morale.

This retrospective is great when the team’s feeling worn out or needs a reminder of how much they’ve accomplished together.

10. The Five Ways

If your team has been dealing with persistent problems that crop up time after time, the Five Whys technique can help you get to the bottom of it. Instead of just addressing symptoms, this retrospective allows you to peel back the layers and uncover the true causes.

Ask “Why?” five times to drill down to the root cause of the issue.
With each answer, ask again, challenging assumptions until you uncover the underlying problem.

This format is great for teams dealing with recurring issues that can’t be solved with quick fixes. It encourages deeper thinking and problem-solving.

Agile Retrospective Best Practices

Here are some best practices to help you run engaging and effective agile sessions.

1. Set the Right Tone

The success of a retrospective starts with the environment you create. If your team feels rushed, judged, or disengaged, you won’t get honest feedback.

Keep the atmosphere safe and open so team members feel comfortable sharing.
Use icebreakers to lighten the mood, especially if people seem hesitant to talk.
Make it clear that the goal is improvement, not blame.

A relaxed, open environment encourages genuine discussions, which lead to better insights and solutions.

2. Keep It Focused

Retrospectives can easily spiral into long-winded venting sessions. While it’s important to air frustrations, it’s even more important to stay focused on what’s actionable.

Set a clear agenda: to keep discussions structured, choose a specific format (like Start/Stop/Continue or the Sailboat Retrospective).
Time-box each section: if you spend the whole meeting discussing one issue, you may miss out on other valuable insights.
Stick to the sprint: don’t let the conversation drift into long-term strategy talks. Schedule separate meetings for that.

A well-structured retrospective keeps things productive and prevents meetings from dragging on.

3. Vary the Format to Keep Things Fresh

If every retrospective looks and feels the same, engagement will drop. Switching up the format keeps things interesting and thought-provoking.

One sprint, try Mad, Sad, Glad to gauge emotions.
The next, go visual with Sailboat or Hot Air Balloon activity.
If you need more open-ended discussions, use Lean Coffee.

Changing up the format helps teams look at their performance from different angles, leading to deeper insights and preventing retrospectives from becoming stale.

4. Encourage Everyone to Speak

Some team members are naturally more vocal, while others might hesitate to share their thoughts. A great retrospective ensures that everyone’s voice is heard.

Use anonymous input tools (like sticky notes or digital boards) to gather honest feedback.
Ask quieter team members for their input directly, but without putting them on the spot.
Keep an eye on dominant voices—make sure they don’t unintentionally overshadow others.

The more diverse the perspectives, the more valuable the retrospective will be.

Pro tip: Use Beekast’s Feedback Door template to encourage anonymous contributions from introverted team members — so they are more likely to share their thoughts.

5. Focus on Actionable Takeaways

A retrospective without action items is just a discussion. The real value comes from turning insights into improvement.

Identify 1-3 concrete actions to implement in the next sprint.
Assign owners to each action item to ensure accountability.
Follow up in the next retrospective to check progress.

When teams see that retrospectives lead to real change, engagement and participation increase.

Pro Tip: Use Beekast to generate automatic meeting reports, which makes it easier to document and follow up on meeting resolutions.

Run Effective Agile Sessions with Beekast

Agile sessions should be more than just meetings. They should be dynamic, engaging, and results-driven. Beekast helps you achieve that by providing the right tools to facilitate collaboration, structure discussions, and turn insights into action.

Whether you’re running a retrospective, a sprint planning session, or a team brainstorming workshop, Beekast’s interactive features — like live polls, idea boards, and structured templates — keep everyone engaged and focused.

With the right approach and the right tools, your Agile sessions can transform from routine check-ins to impactful, high-energy meetings that drive real improvements. Try Beekast to make your agile meetings more effective, interactive, and actionable.

The Top 10 Agile Retrospective Examples + Templates for Your Next Meeting Sprint