Starfish Template

What is Starfish?

The Starfish retrospective is a structured and balanced way to gather team feedback across a broad spectrum of actions and behaviors. It encourages thoughtful reflection on what to continue, improve, or eliminate, using five distinct categories: Start, More of, Continue, Less of, and Stop.

How to use Starfish in TeamRetro

Access the Template:

Navigate to your Team HOME page.
Click on START A RETROSPECTIVE or + or navigate to the RETROSPECTIVES tab.
Select STARFISH from the list of STANDARD templates.

Set the Meeting Context:

Define the purpose or theme of the session to guide topic suggestions.

ICEBREAKER

Set a warm and welcoming tone with a light activity or fun question.
Use this moment to help participants feel comfortable and ready to engage.
Examples: “What’s one small win you had this week?” or “If our last sprint was a weather pattern, what would it be?”

WELCOME

Introduce the purpose of the session and highlight the value of open, constructive, feedback.
Share the retrospective structure and any key topics or themes you’d like the team to focus on.
Remind everyone of the format, time expectations, and participation roles.

OPEN ACTIONS

Quickly review any action items from the previous retrospective.
Discuss what’s been completed, what’s still in progress, and anything that needs to be carried forward.
This helps create accountability and sets the stage for a productive session.

BRAINSTORM

Start – New ideas or actions the team should begin doing.
More of – Things the team is doing well and should continue to carry out or increase .
Continue – Practices that are working and should be maintained.
Less of – Activities or habits that may be necessary but should be scaled back.
Stop – Things that aren’t adding value and should be discontinued.

GROUP

Group similar items together to identify common themes and streamline the conversation.
Use TeamRetro’s AI grouping tool or group ideas manually by dragging and dropping.

VOTE

Have participants vote on the most relevant or impactful items across categories.
Set a vote limit to help prioritize discussion.
The most-voted items automatically appear at the top.

DISCUSS

Review the top-voted ideas.
Facilitate a conversation around what’s lifting the team up and what’s acting as anchors.
Recognize the positive moments and give space for Shout Outs and Kudos.
Use the PARK feature to set aside off-topic or time-consuming discussions.
Add action items during the conversation or use AI suggestions to capture next steps.

REVIEW

Convert key insights into actionable steps.
Assign responsibilities and due dates.
Document any team agreements or decisions made.

CLOSE

Summarize Key Takeaways: Recap the main points discussed with AI summaries and the agreed-upon actions.
Express Gratitude: Thank the team for their openness and participation.
Plan Next Steps: Schedule the next retrospective and encourage continuous reflection.
Download and Share Reports: with any absent users or interested stakeholders for a quick summary.