Candy Hearts Retro

Lina Mistry-Miles

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What is the template about?

The Candy Hearts Retrospective is a fun, Valentine’s Day-themed framework designed to reflect on the team's performance in a sprint. It incorporates sweetness and positivity while also identifying areas for improvement and brainstorming actionable ideas for the next sprint. The structure includes an icebreaker (Sweet Inspirations) and a retrospective (Box of Chocolates) that keeps the team engaged and motivated.

What does it help you achieve?

This template helps teams:

Celebrate successes with a lighthearted and fun activity.
Encourage gratitude and camaraderie among team members.
Identify challenges and areas for improvement in a positive and constructive way.
Brainstorm actionable steps for better outcomes in future sprints.

Who would benefit from it the most?

Remote Agile teams, Scrum Masters, and facilitators who want to:

Keep their retrospectives engaging and themed for the season.
Foster team collaboration and positivity.
Introduce a creative twist to routine retrospective meetings.

How to use it?

Set Up the Icebreaker:
- Start with the Sweet Inspirations activity.
- Ask each participant to create a virtual candy heart on Miro, write a short motivational or fun phrase, and share it with the team. Examples: "Team Goals 💖", "Dev Squad 💎".
Run the Retrospective:
- Use the Box of Chocolates layout on Miro with three sections:
  - Sweet (What went well?): Team members add sticky notes with positive outcomes or successes.
  - Bittersweet (What could be improved?): Encourage constructive feedback about challenges or areas that didn’t go as planned.
  - Next Flavors (Improvements for next sprint): Brainstorm ideas to address challenges and try new approaches.
Facilitate Discussions:
- Discuss each section, encouraging all team members to participate. Use Miro tools like voting to prioritize improvements.
Wrap-Up:
- End on a high note by revisiting the "candy hearts" and celebrating the team’s efforts.