🧞♂️ Magic Lamp Retrospective
Summon the genie of improvement! As we rub the lamp of reflection, unleash three wishes: what should begin, end, or carry on in our agile quest. Let’s grant ourselves a project full of possibility!
Template Columns
🪔 Wish for New Beginnings
Make a wish for actions or ideas we should start bringing to life.
Base column: Start🚫 Wishes to Banish
Reveal what you’d ask the genie to stop or remove from our processes.
Base column: Stop✨ Wishes to Sustain
Name the magical practices and habits you’d like to continue.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
The Magic Lamp retrospective invites your team to reflect and dream up improvements by expressing what to start, stop, and continue. Channeling the genie, it unleashes creative thinking for process change and sustained success.
When to use this template
Use this format when the team needs a simple, engaging retrospective to clarify priorities, refresh routines, or creatively reimagine how they work together. Especially useful during transitions, after sprints where energy feels low, or anytime you want a fun, fresh approach.
How to facilitate
Kick off with a warm welcome and briefly introduce the Magic Lamp theme to set a playful, open tone.
Remind the team of recent progress, context, or sprint highlights to ground the conversation.
Invite everyone to submit notes in the three columns: what they wish the team would start (Wish for New Beginnings), stop (Wishes to Banish), and continue (Wishes to Sustain). Encourage imaginative and practical ideas alike.
Allow participants a few minutes in silence to add their wishes, ensuring everyone has a voice.
Group similar wishes together as a team, clarifying meanings and priorities. Highlight recurring or strongly supported themes.
Facilitate discussion around the top wishes in each column, exploring why they matter and how they’d impact the team.
Guide the team to select one or two actionable 'genie grants'—new experiments or changes to try, and specific practices to continue.
Close by sharing appreciation, noting commitments, and inviting a quick round of reflections on the session itself.
Pro Tips
Use the genie theme as an icebreaker to encourage bolder, more creative contributions.
Ask participants to pre-reflect before the meeting for more thoughtful wishes and smoother flow.
If ideas stall, prompt with positive examples or recent achievements to spark inspiration.
Assign a scribe to track action items directly so nothing is lost in review.
Rotate facilitation to empower more team members and keep sessions lively.
FAQ
What if the wishes are too big or vague to act on?
Encourage the team to break down large or abstract wishes into smaller, experiment-friendly steps during discussion. Ask clarifying questions to make wishes practical.
How do I keep the session from feeling repetitive if we use this format often?
Reframe the wish categories with examples from recent work, or add a fun twist like awarding a 'genie’s lamp' to the most impactful wish of the session.
What if some team members hesitate to share their wishes?
Use anonymous contributions if possible, and foster trust by emphasizing psychological safety at the start of the session.
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At a glance
- Duration
35–50 min
- Team Size
3-10 people
- Columns
3 columns
- Base Format
Start, Stop, Continue
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective