A creative, metaphorical format that helps teams visualize their journey, the things that speed them up, and what holds them back.
How to Run This Retrospective
Explain the Metaphor: Start by explaining the sailboat metaphor to the team. The boat represents the team, the island is their goal, the wind is what helps them, the anchors are what slows them down, and the rocks are potential risks.
Set Up the Board: Create columns on the board for each element of the metaphor: 'The Island (Goals)', 'The Wind (What pushes us forward)', 'The Anchors (What holds us back)', and 'Rocks (Risks)'.
Brainstorming - The Island (Goals): Ask your team to add cards defining the team's vision or goals. What is the destination you are sailing towards?
Brainstorming - The Wind (What pushes us forward): In this column, team members should add cards for everything that is helping you reach your goals. These are your strengths and positive factors.
Brainstorming - The Anchors (What holds us back): This column is for impediments. Encourage the team to add cards for challenges and things that are slowing the team down.
Brainstorming - Rocks (Risks): Here, the team should identify potential risks that might appear on the journey ahead. Team members can add a card for each foreseeable risk they can think of.
Discuss and Analyze: Facilitate a discussion around the cards in each column. The goal is to understand how to harness the 'Wind', cut the 'Anchors', and navigate around the 'Rocks' to reach the 'Island'. Use drag-and-drop to group related ideas.
Formulate a Plan: Guide the team in creating a plan to strengthen the drivers, eliminate impediments, and mitigate risks. A dedicated 'Action Items' column on your board is a great place to track these commitments.
When to Use This Format
Perfect for creative teams or to break the monotony of standard retrospectives.
The column-based metaphor helps team members think about their work from a different perspective in a structured way.
Facilitator's Guide
To get the most out of this format, ensure everyone understands the metaphor before you begin. A shared understanding is key to a productive session.
Continuously bring the discussion back to the metaphor to keep the team engaged and the conversation focused.
This format is excellent for generating high-level discussions. Use it to align the team on its goals and vision.