Run a Product Retrospective

Facilitate a product retrospective for the following:

Team: [product / engineering / cross-functional]
Sprint / quarter / project being reviewed: [describe it]
Team size: [number of people]
Format: [in-person / remote]
Duration: [60 minutes / 90 minutes / 2 hours]
Current team dynamic: [healthy and open / some tension / new team / high-performing]

Retrospective design:

1. Opening (10 min): how to create safety and set the purpose — not just "what went well / what didn't"

2. Main activity (choose format appropriate to team dynamic):
   - Option A: 4Ls (Liked / Learned / Lacked / Longed For)
   - Option B: Sailboat (wind = helps / anchor = slows / rocks = risks / sun = vision)
   - Option C: Start / Stop / Continue
   - Option D: Timeline retrospective for longer projects

3. For the chosen format: step-by-step facilitation instructions

4. Dot voting or prioritisation: how to identify the 2–3 things to act on

5. Action item creation: how to turn retrospective insights into specific, owned actions (not vague intentions)

6. Closing: how to end on a high note and build team connection

7. How to make sure last retro's actions were followed up