Sprint Retrospective Template for Remote and In-Person Teams

Free Sprint Retrospective Template

## Sprint Retrospective — Sprint [Number]
Date: 
Team: 
Facilitator: 
Sprint Goal: [Was it achieved? Yes / No / Partial]

---

## What Went Well ✅
(Things we should keep doing)

- 
- 
- 

## What Didn't Go Well ❌
(Things that caused friction, delays, or frustration)

- 
- 
- 

## What We Will Improve 🔧
(Specific, actionable improvements for next sprint)

| Action Item | Owner | Due |
|---|---|---|
|  |  |  |
|  |  |  |
|  |  |  |

## Metrics
- Sprint Velocity: 
- Stories Completed: 
- Stories Carried Over: 
- Bugs Found in Sprint: 

## Team Mood
(1–5 scale, or use emojis)
Overall team morale this sprint: 

Filled Example

Sprint Retrospective — Sprint 14 Date: 22 May 2026 Team: Platform Team Facilitator: Jane (Scrum Master) Sprint Goal: Launch user onboarding flow — Partially achieved

What Went Well:

• Daily standups were focused and under 15 minutes
• The new PR review process cut review time in half
• Team communication on blockers improved noticeably

What Didn't Go Well:

• Two stories were carried over due to unclear acceptance criteria at sprint start
• QA environment was unstable for 2 days mid-sprint
• We underestimated the onboarding email integration complexity

Action Items:

| Action Item | Owner | Due | |---|---|---| | Add acceptance criteria review to sprint planning checklist | Jane | Sprint 15 start | | Work with DevOps to fix QA environment stability | Tom | End of week | | Break email integration into smaller tickets | Priya | Sprint 15 planning |

Metrics:

• Sprint Velocity: 32 points
• Stories Completed: 7/9
• Bugs Found in Sprint: 3 (2 closed)

How to Run a Good Retrospective

Before the retro:

• Send the template to the team 24 hours ahead
• Ask team members to add their own notes before the meeting
• Review the previous retro's action items

During the retro:

• Time-box each section (5–10 minutes per section)
• Start with What Went Well — builds psychological safety
• Keep action items specific with owners and due dates
• Aim for 2–3 action items maximum — less is more

After the retro:

• Share the notes in your team channel
• Add action items to the backlog
• Review them at the next retro

Common Retrospective Mistakes

• No action items — retros without follow-up change nothing
• Too many action items — nothing gets done
• Skipping retrospectives when the sprint was "fine"
• Letting the same people dominate the discussion
• Blaming individuals instead of fixing systems

FAQ

How long should a sprint retrospective take? For a 2-week sprint: 60–90 minutes. For a 1-week sprint: 30–45 minutes.

What if the team has nothing negative to say? That usually means people don't feel safe speaking up. Try anonymous input tools like EasyRetro or Parabol.

Should retrospectives be mandatory? Yes. Retrospectives are one of the most valuable Scrum ceremonies. Skipping them means the team stops improving.