How to use the sprint retrospective board
- Give the board a title, such as the name of the sprint. It is saved as you type.
- Add notes to the three columns: What went well, What to improve and Actions. Type a short note and press Add note. Each note can be up to 240 characters.
- Vote with +1 and -1, edit a note, or move it one column Left or Right as the team talks. Tick Show most voted first to put the notes with the most votes at the top.
- When the meeting ends, press Copy as text or Copy as Markdown to paste the result into a document or ticket, or Print a copy. Clear board starts again.
A short retrospective
After a sprint, a team adds "Great demo" to What went well and "Slow code reviews" to What to improve. Three people vote for the slow reviews, so it rises to the top when the most voted setting is on. The team agrees to try a daily review slot, adds "Add review rota" under Actions and moves "Slow code reviews" no further.
The Markdown copy reads: a title heading, then a heading for each column with a bullet for each note and its votes, such as "Slow code reviews (3 votes)", with actions shown as an unchecked checkbox so they can be pasted into a task list. The plain text copy uses the same layout without the Markdown marks.
What a retrospective is for
A retrospective is a short meeting at the end of a sprint or project in which a team looks at how it worked together. The classic format asks three questions: what went well, what could be better, and what will we do about it. Writing notes before discussing them helps quiet voices be heard, and voting helps the team pick the few topics worth time instead of trying to fix everything.
The action column matters most. A retrospective that ends without a change to try next sprint is a conversation, not an improvement. Keep actions small, give each an owner outside this board, and review them at the start of the next retrospective.
Running it with this board
One person can type for the team in a shared screen meeting, or each person can use their own copy and read their notes out. The board is saved in this browser only, using localStorage, and is never uploaded, so teammates do not see each other's boards. Copy the result into your own wiki or ticket to share it.
To follow actions after the meeting, the kanban board is a simple task board. Try the SWOT analysis maker for a different way to frame a discussion, the project status report template to report the result, and the OKR template maker for longer goals. If you clear site data or use a different device, the board is gone, so copy anything you want to keep.
Assumptions and limits
- The board has three fixed columns. Notes are plain text, up to 240 characters, and a board holds up to 150 notes.
- Votes are counted per note with no limit on the number of votes each person gives. Agree your own rule in the meeting.
- The board is saved in this browser with localStorage. It does not sync between people or devices.
- Notes are never uploaded, and nothing on the board is shared unless you copy it.
Frequently asked questions
What are the three columns in a sprint retrospective?
What went well, what to improve, and actions. The first two collect observations and the third holds the changes the team agrees to try.
How do I run a retrospective online?
Share your screen, have the team write notes in each column, vote on the topics that matter most, and agree two or three actions. Copy the result to your team's notes afterward.
Is the board saved?
It is saved in this browser as you work. Clearing site data, using a private window or switching devices loses it, so copy the result when the meeting ends.
Can several people edit the same board?
No. The board lives in one browser. For a group, one person can type for everyone on a shared screen.