The starfish model is an engaging and fun retrospective format that encourages teams to focus on future actions rather than solely reflecting on what went right or wrong during the last sprint
Whether you're an agile coach, scrum master, team leader, or anyone involved in retrospective meetings, we've got a fun retro for you and your team - the starfish retrospective. Move beyond the traditional sprint retrospective and give the starfish retro a chance. We'll talk more about this template below.
In essence, the Starfish retrospective is a retro facilitation technique based on the starfish diagram. This cleverly named practice leverages the shape of a starfish to break down five crucial categories of team performance. The structure encourages a full-spectrum review of your project or sprint, contributing to continuous improvement and team growth.
Drawing inspiration from the five arms of a real starfish, this retrospective model prompts participants to evaluate actions the team should "Keep Doing," "Do Less of," "Do More of," "Stop Doing," and "Start Doing." This agile retrospective with a twist provides a visually clear structure that stimulates insightful discussions and leads to actionable outcomes.
What action should the team keep doing?
What actions should the team stop doing?
What is the team not doing today that it should start doing?
What is the team doing today that it should do less of?
What is the team doing today that it should do more of?
Sometimes, it's beneficial to mix things up and try a new template. Who says it can't be fun? Retrospectives can be engaging and lively, all while maintaining their effectiveness!
The key to this fun retro is the starfish diagram itself. Each arm of the starfish serves a unique purpose in guiding conversation and stimulating thought. If you’re looking for an agile retrospective tool that keeps your team interested while fostering deep conversation, the Starfish retrospective is an excellent choice.
Deriving valuable insights and fostering an enjoyable atmosphere during your retrospective requires mastering facilitation techniques. The goal goes beyond merely guiding the team through the process; it's about setting the scene for open communication, promoting participation and psychological safety, and ensuring that all opinions are heard and valued.
Give everyone a chance to voice their opinions but don't require them to speak up. It can be effective to follow up after someone shares an opinion by asking why they put that item on the board or what made them come to that opinion. While stating that the team should stop doing something is a good start, understanding the rationale behind that suggestion provides even more value.
Effective facilitation can turn a good team retro into an excellent one, leading to a better understanding of what the team's challenges are and how to drive towards continuous improvement.
Though the Starfish retrospective serves as a fantastic tool for zeroing in on the specifics of your team's recent performance, it isn't the sole method at your disposal. At times, a more high-level and comprehensive perspective on your team's long-term health, happiness, and satisfaction is required. In comes the Team Health Check model.
Complementing the Starfish Retrospective Template and other agile sprint retrospectives, the Team Health Check can be a valuable enhancement to your team's regular retrospective routine.
Team Health Checks are guided retrospectives that lead your team through a predefined set of specific focus areas related to how your team operates - from their commitment to the overall mission, to work-life balance, to how much fun they have while being part of the team. Participants are asked to vote on whether they think the team is performing well, poorly, or just okay in each area.
To learn more about the Team Health Check model and how to facilitate them, click here to read our ultimate guide. RetroWave allows you to conduct team health check retrospectives with in-person or remote teams. Consider running a team health check today.