Christmas Gift Retro

Overview

A festive sprint retrospective combining elf icons, a quick pulse check, mystery gift prompts, and Lean Coffee-style discussion. Use the board’s four sections to personalize, vote, open gifts, and capture actions.

Board Layout & Use

Section 1: Create Your Elf Icon

Purpose: Personalize participation and set energy. How: Participants copy an elf template, add their name, and use the elf as their voting token.

Section 2: Christmas Hit or Miss

Purpose: Rapid pulse check. How: Place elf tokens or stickies in “Love it!” or “Miss it!” and delete snowflake cover cards to reveal the topic underneath, look for clusters and outliers.

Section 3: Gift Select

Purpose: Main activity via hidden prompts. How:

• Choose a gift; ungroup the wrapper to reveal the hidden sticky.

• Move the prompt to “Current discussion item.”

• Timebox 3–5 minutes. At end, vote to continue (+2–3 minutes) or move on.

• Capture insights and actions as stickies; tag with icons:

  • ⭐ High priority

  • 🎄 Team ritual/culture

  • 🎁 Gift to future team

  • ❄️ Risk/blocker

• Move finished items to “Completed discussion item.”

Facilitation Flow (≈60 minutes)

1. Elf Icon Personalization (2–3 min)

2. Hit or Miss Voting (5 min)

3. Lean Coffee Gift Rounds (30–40 min): open → read → discuss → vote → capture → move.

4. Synthesis & Action Review (10 min): themes, owners, due dates, priorities.

Facilitation Tips

• Timeboxing: be visible and consistent; end on time.

• Participation: invite quieter voices; ensure balance.

• Energy: start light; switch prompts if energy dips; don’t open all gifts.

• Psychological Safety: normalize “Miss it” votes; thank honesty; park sensitive items if needed.

Close & Follow-Up

• Review the “Completed” column for 2–3 themes.

• Confirm owners and dates for each action.

• Optional closing: “What one gift can we give the team next sprint?”

• Share where actions are tracked and set a check-in at the next standup.