Drop Add Keep Improve Retrospective

Decide what to drop, add, keep and improve.

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Drop

What practices should we stop or discontinue?

We should drop the weekly status meeting since we now have a better way to track progress.
Let's stop using that outdated project management tool. It's more trouble than it's worth.
I think we can drop the requirement for two approvals on minor code changes. It's slowing us down unnecessarily.
Add

What new practices should we adopt?

We should add a quick daily standup to keep everyone in sync.
Let's start doing weekly knowledge sharing sessions to learn from each other.
I think we need to add some automated testing to catch regressions earlier.
Keep

What's working well that we should continue?

The pair programming sessions have really helped improve code quality. Let's keep doing those.
Our regular retrospectives are so useful. We should definitely keep having them.
The flexible work hours policy has been great for work-life balance. I hope we keep that.
Improve

What could we do better?

Our code review process could be improved by having clearer guidelines and better tooling.
I think we need to improve how we prioritize and scope new features to avoid constant firefighting.
The onboarding process for new hires could be improved with better documentation and mentoring.

What is the Drop Add Keep Improve retrospective?

The Drop Add Keep Improve (DAKI) retrospective is a quick way to review a process, a project or how your team works together. It asks what you should drop (stop doing), add (start doing), keep (continue) and improve (do better). Four plain categories make it easy for anyone to contribute, and each one leads to a decision. Drop and add cover the bigger changes. Keep protects what's working, and improve catches the practices that are worth keeping but need fixing, which a simple start/stop format has no place for. Use DAKI at the end of a sprint, a project or a milestone. It isn't tied to software, so any team that wants to review how it works can run it.

Drop Add Keep Improve retrospective format

Drop

What practices should we stop or discontinue?

Encourage the team to be open about processes, tools, or behaviors that are no longer serving them well.

Add

What new practices should we adopt?

Encourage creativity and open-mindedness when suggesting new processes or ways of working.

Keep

What's working well that we should continue?

Reinforce what's working by calling out the processes and practices that are helping the team.

Improve

What could we do better?

Encourage constructive criticism and focus on actionable improvements rather than complaints.

When to use this retrospective

  • At the end of a project, sprint or major milestone, to review what worked and what to change.
  • When your team is struggling with a process, tool or way of working and needs to decide what to change.
  • As a regular check-in, monthly or quarterly, to keep adjusting how your team works.

Suggested icebreaker questions

  • If our team was a vehicle, what kind would it be and why?
  • What's one thing you've learned or improved on since our last retrospective?

Want a warm-up your team plays, not just answers out loud? Browse free icebreakers →

Ideas and tips for your retrospective meeting

  • Make it safe to be honest and keep the session blame-free.
  • If people are hesitant to raise concerns, use private brainstorming and anonymous voting.
  • Pick the top item in each category and turn it into a concrete next step.
  • Check on agreed improvements at the next retrospective.
  • Rotate the facilitator so you get fresh perspectives and share the work.
  • Start and end with the 'Keep' column so people see what's going well.

Frequently asked questions

What does DAKI stand for in a retrospective?
DAKI stands for Drop, Add, Keep, Improve. Your team decides what to stop doing, what to start doing, what's working and should continue, and what needs to get better.
When should you run a DAKI retrospective?
Use it at the end of a project, sprint or milestone, when your team is struggling with a process or way of working, or as a monthly or quarterly check-in.
How is DAKI different from Start Stop Continue?
Drop, add and keep map onto stop, start and continue. DAKI then adds a fourth column, improve, for practices that are worth keeping but need fixing.
What goes in the improve column?
Practices you want to keep but do better, such as a code review process that needs clearer guidelines or an onboarding process that needs better documentation.
How long does a DAKI retrospective take?
Most teams need 45–60 minutes to fill four columns, vote and agree on actions.

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