Start / Stop / Continue retrospective template

A behaviour-focused format: what to start doing, stop doing and keep doing. Every card is already an action.

Start a Start / Stop / Continue retroFree. No account needed. Share the link and your team joins.

Start

Stop

Continue

The columns and what to ask

People struggle to name behaviours and produce vague cards like "communicate better". Warm up with 4Ls first.
The team is exhausted and needs to be heard before it can plan changes.

Sized for a team of up to eight. Add time for larger groups.

1
Set the stage · 5 min
Explain the three columns and ask for specific, observable behaviours rather than general wishes.
2
Write cards · 10 min
Everyone adds cards silently. Encourage phrasing that starts with a verb.
3
Group and vote · 10 min
Merge duplicates and vote. Five votes each is a good default.
4
Discuss · 15 min
Take the top Start and Stop cards and turn each into a concrete experiment: what exactly will we do differently, starting when?
5
Commit to actions · 5 min
Choose at most two experiments, give each an owner, and set a date to check whether they worked.

Make cards specific: "Start writing acceptance criteria before refinement" beats "improve requirements".
Treat Start cards as experiments with a review date, not permanent rules.
Handle Stop carefully. Ask what the practice was meant to achieve and whether something else should meet that need.
Use Continue to protect what works when the team is tempted to change everything at once.

What's the difference between Start / Stop / Continue and Good / Bad / Improve?: Start / Stop / Continue asks for behaviours to change, so cards are usually actions already. Good / Bad / Improve collects observations first and turns them into actions later.
How many Start cards should we act on?: Two at most. A team can absorb only a couple of changes per sprint, and each new habit needs someone watching it.

Your board opens with these columns. Votes, timers and anonymous cards are built in.