Team retrospective template

A retrospective looks back so the next piece of work goes better. This template starts by checking whether last time’s actions were done and ends with a few improvement actions, each with someone in charge.

When to use it

  • At the end of each sprint or iteration.
  • When a project or campaign closes.
  • After an incident or a delivery that didn’t go as expected.

The template

  1. 1

    Previous actions

    What was agreed at the last retrospective and whether it’s been done.

  2. 2

    What went well

    What worked and is worth keeping, with concrete examples.

  3. 3

    What didn’t go well

    What was hard, late or went wrong, describing facts rather than people.

  4. 4

    Lessons and ideas

    What the team has learned and proposals to try something different.

  5. 5

    Improvement actions

    A few concrete actions, each with an owner and a date to review it.

To get it right

  • Talk about facts and processes, not who’s to blame.
  • Pick two or three actions at most: better a few that get done.
  • Ask before recording: some people speak less freely when they’re recorded.
  • Review the actions at the start of the next retrospective.

With Echo, without writing it

  1. 1

    Create the analysis type

    In Settings, AI analysis, click “New template” and call it “Retrospective”. Under “General instructions” you can ask for a tone or for anything that mustn’t be left out.

  2. 2

    Add the sections

    For each section of this template, fill in “Section title”, choose the “Format” (List or Paragraph) and describe in “What it should include” what’s explained above. “Add section” takes you up to 12. Click “Save template”.

  3. 3

    Use it in your meetings

    Choose it under “Type of analysis” before you start in Live or Record, set it as your “Template for your uploads” or, in a meeting that’s already transcribed, pick it in the Summary tab and click “Generate”.

  4. 4

    Have it applied automatically

    In Settings, Automations, click “New automation”, type words such as “retro, retrospective” under “Has in its title” and choose your template under “Analyse it as”. It applies when no other type was chosen at upload.

Frequently asked questions

Can I see whether we keep hitting the same problems?

Yes. With Topics you can track an idea (for example, “late deliveries”) across all your retrospectives and see how many it comes up in each week.

Does Echo know who said what?

It separates the people speaking and you can name them in the editor. If you’d rather keep the retro anonymous, don’t add names or don’t record it.

Does it work for remote retros?

Yes. You can record the call with the Chrome extension (Meet, Teams or Zoom in the browser), send the assistant to a Teams meeting or upload the recording afterwards.

Other templates

Try it with your next meeting.

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