The Starfish Retrospective Template
What is the Starfish retrospective template?
Designed by Patrick Kua, the Starfish retrospective idea helps teams assess the value generated by their own actions. Then, team members are invited to share new ideas to maximize value.
Rather than simply listing what went well, what didn't go well, and what the team could improve during the next Sprint, the Starfish retrospective template brings a brand new perspective rooted in the value delivered by the team.
The Starfish retrospective template also stands out from other retrospective ideas with its very comprehensive approach. And as proof, five columns shape this exercise.
First, the participants will discuss current techniques and practices operated by the team. The key here is to differentiate elements that bring value from those that do not. Then, participants will share their feelings on what the team should stop or start doing to optimize the value provided.
Maximize value the easy way with the Starfish retrospective activity! ⭐
How does the Starfish retrospective format work?
The Starfish offers 5 retrospective questions to help your Agile team understand how they can improve:
What should we start doing? The team focuses on initiating new actions or practices geared towards enhancing productivity. The primary purpose here is to identify changes or implementations that can positively impact the team's overall performance.
What should we stop doing? This question is about eliminating obstacles or activities that impede progress. The primary purpose is to identify and cease activities that do not contribute to the team's success or act as barriers.
What should we continue? The team focuses on maintaining activities already yielding positive results. The purpose is to acknowledge and reinforce practices that have proven valuable, emphasizing their importance to the team's ongoing success.
What should we do more? The team directs its attention to amplifying behaviors or activities contributing to overall effectiveness. The goal is to recognize and encourage actions proven to be beneficial, suggesting an increase in their frequency or depth.
What should we do less? The team aims to reduce actions or behaviors negatively impacting productivity. The purpose is to address and mitigate aspects hindering progress.
Why is the Starfish retrospective template so effective?
The Starfish retrospective model is a particularly effective activity for giving teams a structured space to collectively reflect on their practices, and to democratically decide what should be started, stopped, continued, done more of, or done less of, to maximize the value delivered.
With its five distinct reflection areas, the Starfish format helps teams step back and look at how they work, while encouraging rich, balanced, and action-oriented discussions. It therefore fits perfectly within a Sprint Retrospective, especially when the team wants to go deeper than usual.
⚠️ That said, we recommend using this model occasionally rather than every sprint.
The Starfish format is more demanding than other retrospective models. If you’re running a retrospective for the first time with your team, or if time is limited, it may be better to choose a simpler and faster format, such as Start / Stop / Continue or What Went Well. For an approach that focuses more on emotions (rather than facts alone), the Glad, Sad, Mad model is also an excellent alternative.
Finally, the Starfish model isn’t limited to Sprint Retrospectives. It’s also highly relevant for project checkpoints, post-mortems, and event retrospectives, whenever the goal is to generate clear and actionable learnings.
👉 Good news: the Starfish retrospective model is available for free on Neatro! Use it as-is or adapt it to your context to encourage participation, structure conversations, and turn discussions into concrete actions.
Create your Neatro account for free and launch your first Starfish retrospective today.
Icebreaker question examples for the Starfish retrospective template
To stimulate your team's reflections, it's crucial to kick off your Sprint retrospectives with energy and engagement, and this is where icebreaker questions come into play. To assist you in initiating your reflections, we've curated a selection of icebreaker questions specifically tailored to the Starfish retro activity. Whether you're a novice or experienced in utilizing this framework, these questions will help foster an atmosphere conducive to constructive reflection:
What have you been nostalgic about recently?
What's your zodiac sign? Do you care about it? Why?
Would you rather be reincarnated as a bird or a fish?
Invent a new holiday right away. How would people celebrate it?
Would you rather star in a Hollywood action movie or a theatre masterpiece?
If you're eager to explore other ways to break the ice with your Agile team and enhance your retrospectives, you might consider trying different icebreaker questions or even a different activity, such as "Two Truths and a Lie."
