Aussie Rules (AFL) Retrospective

Review your team's season the way a footy club would.

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Premiership Cup

What are we striving to achieve?

Become the most reliable delivery team in the organization
Achieve zero-defect releases for three sprints straight
Build stronger cross-functional collaboration
Goals

What did we achieve?

Successfully launched the new customer portal ahead of schedule
Managed to clear our entire bug backlog
Improved our test coverage to 90%
Tackles

What obstacles and roadblocks did we encounter?

Dependencies on external team caused delays in delivery
Unclear requirements led to rework on the payment feature
Technical issues with the staging environment
Brownlow Nomination

Who has performed well?

Sarah's exceptional mentoring of new team members
Mike's quick thinking saved us during the production incident
Emma's clever fix for the performance bottleneck

What is the AFL Retrospective?

The AFL Retrospective borrows the language of Australian Rules football for your team's retro. Footy clubs review every match, and this format asks your team to do the same with its last sprint or project, using terms most Australians already know. The board has four columns. Premiership Cup is the big goal: what does winning look like for the team? Goals is for what you achieved, and Tackles is for the obstacles that brought you down. Brownlow Nomination, named after the medal for the AFL's best and fairest player, is where people call out a teammate who played well. Because recognition has its own column, the session gives individual credit as well as covering the team's results. It goes down best in Australian workplaces and with sports-minded teams, who get the metaphors without explanation. For everyone else, a two-minute primer on the four terms is enough to get started.

AFL Retrospective format

Premiership Cup

What are we striving to achieve?

Like the trophy every club plays for, this column is about the team's biggest goals. Ask people what winning looks like for the team, over the next quarter or the next year.

Goals

What did we achieve?

Goals win matches, so this column celebrates what the team achieved. Count the small wins along with the big ones.

Tackles

What obstacles and roadblocks did we encounter?

Tackles are what slowed the team down. Keep the discussion honest and focused on the issue, not on who was holding the ball.

Brownlow Nomination

Who has performed well?

Named after the Brownlow Medal, this column recognizes individual players. Ask for a specific example with every nomination, so the recognition means something.

When to use this retrospective

  • With teams who follow sport, and Aussie Rules in particular.
  • When your regular retros have gone flat and a familiar sporting metaphor would get people talking.
  • When you want a retro that recognizes individual effort as well as team results.
  • At the end of a season, project or quarter, when the team wants to look at the big goal again.

Suggested icebreaker questions

  • If our team was an AFL team, what would be our team colors and why?
  • What's your most memorable moment of teamwork, either in sports or at work?

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

Ideas and tips for your retrospective meeting

  • Explain the four terms before you start for anyone who doesn't follow the AFL.
  • Keep the footy talk light. The metaphors are there to get people talking, not to take over the retro.
  • Make sure everyone gets a kick. A team that only goes through one or two players doesn't win many matches.
  • Use AFL imagery or the team's colors on the board to set the mood.
  • Keep Tackles about problems, not people, so it doesn't turn into a blame game.
  • Rotate the team captain role, so a different person facilitates each retro.

Frequently asked questions

What is an AFL retrospective?
It's a team retrospective that uses Australian Rules football terms for its columns: Premiership Cup for the big goal, Goals for wins, Tackles for obstacles and Brownlow Nomination for individual standouts.
When should I use the AFL retrospective template?
Use it with sports-minded teams, or when your usual retros feel repetitive. It's a good fit at the end of a project or quarter, when the Premiership Cup goal is worth revisiting.
Do team members need to know AFL to use this template?
No. Explain the four terms before you start and anyone can take part, whether or not they've seen a game.
What is the Brownlow Nomination column for?
It's for recognizing individual teammates, named after the Brownlow Medal for the AFL's best and fairest player. Ask for a specific example with each nomination, like who stepped up during an incident.
How long does an AFL retrospective take?
Plan for 45–60 minutes for the four columns. Give Tackles the most time, since that's where most of your actions will come from.

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