Snakes and Ladders Retrospective

Find the snakes and ladders on your team's path.

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Start

What things should we start?

Weekly knowledge sharing sessions to spread expertise across the team
Regular check-ins with stakeholders to ensure alignment
Using a shared documentation system for better knowledge retention
Snakes

What pitfalls should we be aware of?

Dependencies on external teams causing unexpected delays
Technical debt accumulating in legacy systems
Unclear requirements leading to rework
Ladders

What will help take us to the next level?

Adopting new automation tools to speed up deployment
Building stronger relationships with other departments
Implementing more efficient code review processes
Finish

What do we expect at the end?

Reduced deployment time by 50% through improved automation
Zero critical bugs in production for three consecutive sprints
Complete migration to the new architecture by Q4

What is the Snakes and Ladders Retrospective?

The Snakes and Ladders retrospective borrows the classic board game: ladders take you up the board, snakes send you back down. Your team uses the same idea to map what could speed up its next stretch of work and what could set it back. The board has four areas. Start is for new initiatives or changes the team should begin. Snakes covers the risks and pitfalls that could slow you down, technical or interpersonal. Ladders is for the accelerators, from quick wins to longer-term advantages, and Finish is where the team describes what success looks like at the end. Because it looks forward as much as back, it suits the start of a project or a milestone check-in as well as a regular retro. Vote on the snakes that most need dealing with and the ladders most worth climbing, then turn the top ones into actions with owners.

Snakes and Ladders retrospective format

Start

What things should we start?

Start with where the team is now. Ask for new initiatives or changes that would help, and keep the focus on things the team could start soon.

Snakes

What pitfalls should we be aware of?

Ask which risks could send the team back down the board. Invite honest discussion of technical and interpersonal problems, and for each snake ask what could be done about it.

Ladders

What will help take us to the next level?

Look for the accelerators that would move the team up the board faster, from quick wins to longer-term advantages worth building.

Finish

What do we expect at the end?

Ask the team to describe where it wants to end up and how it will know it got there. Push for specific, measurable goals, with room for some ambition.

When to use this retrospective

  • When planning a new project or initiative, to spot risks and opportunities early
  • At project milestones, to check progress and adjust course
  • When the team is stuck in a rut and needs a different way to think about solutions
  • For teams that enjoy game-based formats

Suggested icebreaker questions

  • What was your favorite board game as a child and why?
  • If you could instantly master one skill that would help our team, what would it be?

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

Ideas and tips for your retrospective meeting

  • Keep the game metaphor light, and keep the discussion on what the team can act on
  • Ask about the short-term and long-term effects of each snake and ladder
  • Vote to pick the snakes most worth tackling and the ladders most worth climbing
  • Keep a visual board to track progress on the snakes you're dealing with and the ladders you're building
  • Give risks and opportunities similar time so the session doesn't turn gloomy
  • Follow up on the previous retrospective's items at the start

Frequently asked questions

What is a Snakes and Ladders retrospective?
It's a game-themed retrospective based on the classic board game. Your team maps the ladders that would speed it up and the snakes that could set it back, between where it starts and the finish it's aiming for.
What do the Start, Snakes, Ladders and Finish columns mean?
Start is for new initiatives to try. Snakes are risks that could set the team back, Ladders are accelerators that speed progress, and Finish describes the outcome the team wants and how it will measure it.
When should you run a Snakes and Ladders retrospective?
Use it when planning a new project, at a milestone, or when the team needs a fresh way to think about its work.
How long does a Snakes and Ladders retrospective take?
Plan for 45 to 60 minutes. Spend most of it on Snakes and Ladders, and save 10 minutes at the end to agree on actions.
Is it a retrospective or a planning exercise?
It works as both. You can look back at the snakes and ladders of the last sprint or use the board to plan the next project, and either way you finish with actions.

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