When (and How) to Use Each Retrospective Template
Start/Stop/Continue, 4Ls, Mad-Sad-Glad, Fun Retro — each format unlocks something different. Here's exactly when to reach for each one and how to get the most out of it.
Picking the wrong retrospective template is like using a hammer to drive a screw. It technically works, but you're fighting the tool the whole time. The four templates available in Giftro each serve a distinct purpose — and knowing which one to reach for can turn a mediocre retro into one your team actually talks about afterward.
Start, Stop, Continue — the reliable workhorse
When to use it
This is your go-to for regular sprint retrospectives. Use it when the team is functional, things are moving, and you want a structured but low-overhead check-in. It's also ideal for new teams that haven't established a retro habit yet — the three columns are immediately intuitive, so there's no learning curve eating into discussion time.
How to run it
Keep the writing phase time-boxed to 8 minutes. Hide all cards until everyone finishes to prevent anchoring — the first card visible sets the tone for everything written after it. Once revealed, group duplicates quickly (don't debate them yet), then use dot-voting to surface the top 3 themes. Spend the bulk of discussion time there. Assign one owner per action item before closing. If you follow this structure, a 45-minute retro can cover everything that matters.
4Ls — when you need depth, not just action items
When to use it
Use 4Ls (Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed for) after a project milestone, end of quarter, or whenever Start/Stop/Continue starts feeling repetitive. It's particularly valuable when team satisfaction is mysteriously low — the Lacked and Longed for columns force people to name what's missing, which is harder to do in the three-column format. It's also excellent for teams focused on individual and collective growth.
How to run it
Give the team 12 minutes for writing — four columns is more cognitive load than three. Start revealing from Liked to build positive momentum before diving into harder territory. When you reach Lacked and Longed for, look for patterns across cards: if three people longed for better documentation, that's a systemic issue, not a personal preference. Avoid trying to solve everything — pick one Lacked and one Longed for item to act on, and commit to them.
Mad, Sad, Glad — when the team needs to process, not just improve
When to use it
After a tough sprint, a failed launch, a restructuring, or any period where the team carried emotional weight. Mad/Sad/Glad puts feelings first — deliberately. It creates a space to acknowledge frustration and disappointment before jumping to "so what do we do about it." Skipping the emotional layer is a common facilitator mistake: teams that don't process how they felt rarely produce honest action items.
How to run it
Open with a clear psychological safety statement: everything in this room stays in this room, and we're talking about situations and processes — never about individuals. Reveal Glad cards first to ground the discussion in what actually worked before opening the harder columns. When discussing Mad items, redirect any card that targets a person toward the system: "What process or setup made this person's behavior possible?" End the session by converting at least one Mad or Sad item into a concrete process change.
Fun Retrospective — when energy and engagement are the problem
When to use it
When the team dreads the retro. When attendance drops. When people start typing action items two minutes into the meeting because they've mentally checked out. The Fun Retrospective is a pattern interrupt — it signals that retros don't have to be the same loop every two weeks. It's also a great choice for milestone celebrations (end of a big project, first major release) or for onboarding new team members into the retro culture without the usual awkwardness.
How to run it
Start with a GIF icebreaker: ask everyone to find and share a GIF that describes their sprint. In Giftro, anyone can attach a GIF to any card — use this for the icebreaker round and encourage people to do the same for their retro cards. Rename the columns to fit a theme if you want ("What leveled us up", "What crashed the server", "Wildest idea of the sprint"), or use the default What rocked / What flopped / Wild ideas columns. The only rule: don't skip the action items just because the format is light. Wrap up with 2–3 concrete next steps.
Quick decision guide
Regular sprint, nothing unusual → Start, Stop, Continue. Team seems low on energy or stuck in a rut → Fun Retrospective. Post-milestone or satisfaction mysteriously dropped → 4Ls. Stressful sprint, conflict, or big change just happened → Mad, Sad, Glad. When in doubt, Start/Stop/Continue never wastes anyone's time. All four templates are ready to use in Giftro — no setup, just share the link.