Mad, Sad, Glad

How to Run This Retrospective

1. Set Up the Board: Begin by creating three columns on the board: 'Mad', 'Sad', and 'Glad'. This helps structure the conversation around the team's feelings and experiences during the last sprint.
2. Brainstorming - Mad: Ask the team to add cards to the 'Mad' column for anything that caused frustration. This could be related to technical debt, process bottlenecks, or communication issues.
3. Brainstorming - Sad: In the 'Sad' column, team members should add cards about things that were disappointing. This might include missed opportunities, unmet expectations, or moments of discouragement.
4. Brainstorming - Glad: The 'Glad' column is for celebrating successes. Encourage the team to add cards for what made them feel proud or happy, such as team collaboration, a successful feature launch, or personal achievements.
5. Share and Empathize: Invite team members to voluntarily share the stories behind their cards. The goal here is not to solve problems immediately but to listen and build a shared understanding of the team's emotional journey.
6. Identify Themes: As the discussion unfolds, use the drag-and-drop feature to group cards with similar themes. This will help you visualize the root causes of the team's frustrations and joys.
7. Plan for Improvement: Based on the discussion, collaboratively create action items. A dedicated 'Action Items' column is a great way to track commitments aimed at resolving issues from the 'Mad' and 'Sad' columns and amplifying the 'Glad' ones.

When to Use This Format

• Excellent for building psychological safety and improving team cohesion.
• Particularly useful for teams that have gone through a challenging sprint or project.

Facilitator's Guide

• Set a tone of psychological safety from the start. Emphasize that all feelings are valid and that this is a confidential space for honest sharing.
• If the team is hesitant, break the ice by having everyone add a card to the 'Glad' column first. This can create a more positive and open atmosphere.
• Your role is to guide the conversation toward constructive outcomes. Steer the discussion away from venting and toward actionable steps for improvement.