There are various retrospective formats, and while many may be structured similarly, they aim for a different goal. Find out how to choose the right agile retrospective type for your team or read below for another overview, this time of the Good, Bad, Ideas, Action retro.

What is the Good, Bad, Ideas, Action Sprint Retrospective?

This sprint retrospective format is a great way to rehash some things that went well in the last sprint, as well as what didn’t go quite so well. Once the good and bad have been discussed, then the team works together to create new ideas and actions to use in the next sprint. This retrospective is productive and collaborative, making sure to include everyone on the team.

There are 4separate parts to this format, which include:

●     Good: This is the part of the retrospective meeting in which the entire team discusses the good that came out of the past sprint. Team members share everything they thought went well in order to use those good things to build new ideas for future sprints.

●     Bad: In this section of the meeting, the team discusses anything bad that happened or anything that went wrong. This can be anything from a small incident to something that went terribly wrong. Understanding exactly what went wrong and how it went wrong is a good first step in correcting these issues for next time.

●     Ideas: This is the point in the meeting where everyone throws out their ideas of improving the next sprint. They can use what they've learned from discussing the good and bad and go from there. This isn’t the planning part of the meeting, but more of a brainstorm, getting all of the ideas out to be discussed at further lengths later.

●     Action: In this section of the meeting, the team creates an action plan for the upcoming sprint. It can be one (or some) of the ideas listed during the previous section, but it should always take into account the good and bad, using those to come up with a solid plan of action. This is what your team will put into effect during the upcoming spring to hopefully improve some from the last time.

What are the Good, Bad, Ideas, Action Sprint Retro format uses?

This sprint retrospective is used to celebrate wins, discuss things that didn’t go quite as planned, gather ideas to improve for the next sprint, and finally, put those ideas into action. 

When can the Good, Bad, Ideas, Action Sprint Retrospective be used?

This is a great format to use after a sprint to recap what happened, and before an upcoming sprint to form an action plan.

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