🎃👻 Halloween Terror
Enter the haunted house of our sprint: share the ghouls we’ll summon, the curses we’ll break, and the spells that keep us thriving in this spooky agile night.
Template Columns
🕸️ Spawn New Frights
Kick off fresh, daring ideas that will spook our process in a good way.
Base column: Start🧟♂️ Banished Monsters
Stop the haunting habits that drain our team's spirit.
Base column: Stop🕯️ Eternal Hauntings
Continue the chilling practices that empower our sprint magic.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
A Halloween‑themed sprint retrospective that lets teams spawn fresh ideas, banish unproductive habits, and keep the winning practices alive.
When to use this template
Use when you want a fun, themed way to surface improvements and celebrate what’s working, especially after a sprint with mixed outcomes.
How to facilitate
Begin by sharing a quick Halloween ice‑breaker, like naming a favorite spooky movie, to set a fun tone
Ask the team to silently write down items for each column: new ideas to try (Spawn New Frights), habits to stop (Banished Monsters), and practices to keep (Eternal Hauntings)
Collect the sticky notes on the virtual board under the three headings and give each participant a minute to read the contributions
Facilitate a brief discussion for each column, encouraging owners to explain why an item matters and how it impacts the sprint
Use dot voting or emoji reactions to prioritize the top two items in the Spawn New Frights and Banished Monsters columns
Turn the prioritized items into concrete action items with owners and due dates, and capture them in the sprint backlog
Close the session by thanking the team, highlighting the spooky theme, and reminding everyone to track the actions in the next sprint
Pro Tips
Use Halloween‑themed stickers or emojis on the board to keep energy high
Timebox each column discussion to 5‑7 minutes to stay on schedule
If the group is large, split into breakout rooms for silent writing then reconvene to share
FAQ
What if some team members aren’t comfortable with a Halloween theme?
Treat the theme as optional—focus on the three columns and let participants use neutral language if they prefer.
How can we handle a large team without losing focus?
Divide the group into smaller breakout rooms for the silent writing phase, then merge the results on the main board for discussion.
What if we run out of time during the session?
Prioritize the top two items in each column and defer lower‑priority ideas to a follow‑up or the next sprint.
Can this format be used for a non‑sprint retrospective?
Yes, simply adjust the time horizon and use the same columns to reflect on any period of work.
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At a glance
- Duration
45–60 min
- Team Size
4-12 people
- Columns
3 columns
- Base Format
Start, Stop, Continue
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective