🐝🍯 Honeybee Hive
Buzz into our sprint with a honey-sweet retro: share the nectar of successes, the wax of challenges, and craft a hive of continuous improvement.
Template Columns
🚀🐝 Launch the Hive
Identify new actions to pollinate our workflow and boost productivity.
Base column: Start✋🍯 Stop the Stagnant Nectar
Highlight practices that are draining our hive's energy.
Base column: Stop🔁🐝 Keep the Honey Flow
Celebrate and maintain the sweet processes that keep our hive thriving.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
A honey‑themed sprint retro that captures what to start, stop, and keep, turning insights into a thriving hive of improvement.
When to use this template
Use when the team wants a light‑hearted yet focused review of actions, especially after a busy sprint with mixed outcomes.
How to facilitate
Set the stage by reminding the team of the honeybee metaphor and the three columns: Launch the Hive, Stop the Stagnant Nectar, Keep the Honey Flow
Give each participant 3–5 sticky notes or virtual cards and ask them to write brief observations for each column, focusing on concrete actions or behaviors
Collect the notes, place them in the corresponding columns on the board, and allow a quick silent read‑through so everyone sees the full set
Facilitate a group discussion, starting with Launch the Hive, encouraging the team to elaborate on each suggestion and vote on the top three items to try in the next sprint
Move to Stop the Stagnant Nectar and Keep the Honey Flow, repeat the discussion and voting, then capture the agreed‑upon actions in a shared action tracker
Pro Tips
Use a timer for each column discussion to keep energy high and prevent over‑analysis
Encourage the use of emojis or bee‑related icons on virtual cards to reinforce the theme and boost engagement
After voting, assign a clear owner and a due date to each action to ensure accountability
FAQ
What if the team runs out of ideas for a column?
Prompt with specific questions like ‘What blocked our flow?’ or use a one‑minute silent brainstorming to generate fresh thoughts.
How do we handle dominant voices taking over the discussion?
Use a round‑robin format or ask each person to share one point before opening the floor to broader conversation.
Can we combine this retro with other formats?
Yes, you can run the Honeybee Hive as a warm‑up before a deeper root‑cause analysis, or follow it with a quick action‑planning sprint.
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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