Starfish Retrospective

Decide what your team should do more or less of.

Try this retrospective live

Start

What new practices or initiatives should we start?

We should start having weekly check-in meetings to improve communication.
Let's start using a project management tool to better track tasks and deadlines.
I think we need to start involving stakeholders earlier in the process.
More of

What existing strengths should we do more of?

We should have more brainstorming sessions to generate new ideas.
Let's do more pair programming to share knowledge and catch issues early.
I think we need more frequent client check-ins to ensure we're meeting their needs.
Continue

What positive aspects should we continue?

We should continue our daily stand-up meetings to stay aligned.
Let's keep using the code review process. It's really helped improve quality.
The team building activities have been great for morale, so we should continue those.
Less of

What areas need to be scaled back or reduced?

We need to have less meetings that don't have a clear agenda or purpose.
Let's spend less time on low-priority tasks and focus on critical deliverables.
I think we should have less context switching between multiple projects.
Stop

What unproductive practices should we stop?

We should stop working overtime. It's leading to burnout and mistakes.
Let's stop relying on outdated tools and upgrade our tech stack.
I think we need to stop making decisions without considering all stakeholder perspectives.

What is the Starfish retrospective?

Patrick Kua developed the Starfish retrospective so teams could reflect on degrees of change, instead of the usual split between what went well and what didn't. Your team sorts its ideas into five areas: start (new practices to begin), more of (strengths to build on), continue (what works and should stay), less of (activities to scale back) and stop (habits that cost more than they give). Each idea already points to an action, so it's quick to see where to change course and to agree a plan for the next iteration. The two middle categories are what set the starfish retro apart. A practice that's useful in moderation, like status meetings or client check-ins, can be dialed down without being dropped entirely.

Starfish retrospective format

Start

What new practices or initiatives should we start?

Encourage the team to think creatively about untapped opportunities.

More of

What existing strengths should we do more of?

Call out the team's strengths and the approaches that are already working.

Continue

What positive aspects should we continue?

Reinforce the practices that are working well for the team.

Less of

What areas need to be scaled back or reduced?

Identify areas of overemphasis or inefficient use of resources.

Stop

What unproductive practices should we stop?

Encourage the team to let go of habits or processes that are no longer serving them.

When to use this retrospective

  • At the end of a project or major milestone, to decide what to change for the next phase.
  • During a process review, when you want to cut waste from how work flows.
  • After a team restructure or a change in leadership, to reset goals and habits.
  • Every quarter or so, as a deeper check than your regular sprint retro.

Suggested icebreaker questions

  • If our team was a type of fish, what kind would we be and why?
  • What's one thing you've learned recently that has made you more effective at work?

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. Agree ground rules before anyone writes a card.
  • Have one person facilitate so every voice gets heard.
  • Keep the focus on what to do next, not on past mistakes or who caused them.
  • Vote on the items that matter most and turn only those into actions.
  • Review the last retro's actions at the start of the next one.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Starfish retrospective?
It's a five-category retro format (start, more of, continue, less of, stop) developed by Patrick Kua. It looks at degree, so your team can fine-tune practices instead of labeling them good or bad.
When should you use a Starfish retrospective?
Use it when you want more nuance than Start Stop Continue gives you, especially for habits worth dialing up or down. It also suits project milestones and quarterly reviews.
How is a Starfish retrospective different from Start Stop Continue?
Starfish adds two categories, more of and less of, so your team can adjust how much of a practice to do instead of only keeping or dropping it.
Why is it called a Starfish retrospective?
The board is drawn as a circle split into five segments, one per category, which looks like a starfish.
How long does a Starfish retrospective take?
Allow about an hour. Five categories produce more ideas than a three-column retro, so leave time for grouping and voting.

Related templates

Four Ls Retrospective

Reflect on what your team Liked, Learned, Lacked and Longed for

What? So What? Now What? Retrospective

Go from what happened to what you'll do next.

Agile Retrospective

Four questions to review your last sprint and plan changes.

Start Stop Retrospective

Two questions: what to start, and what to stop

Ready to run this retrospective?Try this retrospective live