The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Retrospective
It's time to saddle up, partner!
1. What is this template about?
Take your team on a journey into the Wild West with a retrospective inspired by Sergio Leone's classic film, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
A fun and visually engaging template that puts a Western twist on the traditional Agile retrospective. Team members reflect on The Good (what went well), The Bad (what didn't go so well) and The Ugly (the uncomfortable truths, recurring problems or challenges we need to confront).
With a Western-themed check-in, a few rules of the establishment and plenty of opportunities for honest conversation, this retrospective encourages everyone to share their experiences in an open way and learn together.
2. What does it help you achieve?
Celebrate the Good: Recognise successes, achievements and the people who made a difference.
Confront the Bad: Identify frustrations, obstacles and things that could have gone better.
Face the Ugly: Create space to discuss difficult issues, recurring challenges and uncomfortable truths that might otherwise be avoided.
Build trust: Encourage openness, different perspectives and constructive conversations in a psychologically safe environment.
Take action: Turn insights into practical improvements and clear commitments for the next sprint or iteration.
It helps teams reflect, learn and improve together, with a little humour along the trail.
3. Who would benefit most from this template?
This template is ideal for Scrum Masters, Agile Coaches, Team Leaders and Facilitators looking to bring fresh energy to their retrospectives.
It's particularly useful for:
Agile and Scrum teams reflecting on a sprint or iteration.
Teams that have grown tired of traditional retrospective formats.
Remote or hybrid teams looking for a more engaging, visual experience.
Teams that want to celebrate achievements while making room for honest, sometimes challenging conversations.
No cowboy boots or six-shooters required!
4. How to use this template
Step 1 — High Noon: Check-in (5 minutes)
Start by asking everyone how they're riding into the retrospective today. Choose a Western-themed mood, from Calm and Ready to Go to Confident, Chaotic or Barely Surviving.
This light-hearted check-in gets everyone involved and helps you understand the mood of the group.
Step 2 — Set the rules of the establishment (3 minutes)
Review the retrospective prime directive and the team's working agreements. Remind everyone that the objective is to learn and improve, not to blame or point fingers.
Step 3 — Actions from the last retro (5 minutes)
Before heading into new territory, review commitments from the previous retrospective. What has been achieved? What's still outstanding?
Step 4 — The Good, The Bad & The Ugly (10–15 minutes)
Invite everyone to add sticky notes to the three main areas:
Kudos: Thanks fellow team member or gunslinger
The Good: Things that went well. No dead bodies!
The Bad: Things that were... well, just plain bad.
The Ugly: Things we might not be able to change, or difficult issues we still need to discuss.
Encourage participants to reflect individually before sharing and discussing their observations.
Step 5 — Group, discuss and explore (15–20 minutes)
Group similar sticky notes into themes. Explore the most important topics, encourage different perspectives and look beyond symptoms to understand underlying causes.
Remember: we're hunting problems, not people!
Step 6 — Agree on actions (5–10 minutes)
Identify one or two meaningful improvements the team can make. Agree on clear actions, owners and follow-up.
Step 7 — Close the Retro
Finish on a positive note by thanking people for their contribution and opening up the range for final reflections.
Happy trails
