Using SWOT for your Retrospective Meetings

Getting a team together to work on a project can be overwhelming. Luckily, the SWOT retrospective idea breaks the ice among team members and gets the team to work proactively on the new project.

What is SWOT Retrospective?

The SWOT sprint retrospective assesses the team’s strengths and weaknesses, along with the project’s opportunities and threats. The retrospective is divided into four quadrants: 

• Strengths are attitudes and behaviors that worked in the past
• Weaknesses consist of any attitudes or behaviors that did not work in past projects
• Opportunities allow the team to improve
• Threats are risks to consider when taking on the project. 

When Should SWOT be Used?

The SWOT retrospective format is for internal use, meaning that is mainly for the team to work together. Additionally, it is best used when there are new additions to the team or when starting a new project. SWOT is a great way for team members to get to know each other and work proactively on the new project.  

What Makes SWOT Great?

SWOT is a great retrospective because it helps a new team to break the ice and get to know each other. This allows the team to assign each member to work to the best of their strengths and get the project to run as smoothly as possible. Additionally, identifying the threats and opportunities of the project allows the team to be prepared for any issues that may arise. 

Interested in other retrospective formats?

‍
From "What Went Well" to "Starfish retrospective", "Sailboat retrospective" and more, GoRetro's offers a wide variety of retrospective templates.
Pick up the best sprint retrospective template for your team or create your own retro board using our custom option.