Aladdin's Agile Adventure Retrospective

Aladdin's Agile Adventure retrospective format

Treasures Found

What wins or successes did we discover this sprint?

This topic represents the gold and jewels in Aladdin's Cave of Wonders — the achievements, breakthroughs, and good moments your team uncovered. Encourage participants to celebrate both big and small wins, and to recognise individual and team contributions. Prompt people to be specific about why something felt like a treasure so the team can repeat it next time.

Traps and Tricks

What obstacles, blockers or sneaky problems slowed us down?

These are the booby traps, dead ends, and trickster moments of Jafar that got in the team's way. Frame this as a blameless exploration of what made work harder than it needed to be. Look for recurring traps that may need a systemic fix rather than a one-off patch.

Three Wishes

If the genie granted three wishes, what would we improve?

Time to rub the lamp! Invite the team to dream up the improvements, changes, or magic they wish they had. These wishes become the seeds of your action items. Encourage both practical wishes and ambitious ones — sometimes the bold wishes reveal what the team really needs.

Magic Carpet Ride

Where do we want to go next and what's our first step?

This is the journey ahead on the magic carpet — the next steps, aspirations, and direction for the team. Help the group turn their wishes and learnings into concrete, owned actions. Keep momentum by agreeing who will do what before the next sprint takes off.

When to use this retrospective

• When your team's standard sprint retrospective has gone stale and you want to re-energise engagement with a creative theme.
• After completing a major project milestone or release, to reflect on the journey in a fun and memorable way.
• When you want quieter team members to open up, as the playful storytelling lowers defensiveness.
• For end-of-quarter or seasonal retrospectives where a themed format adds a sense of celebration.
• When onboarding a newer team to retrospectives and you want an approachable, low-pressure format.

Suggested icebreaker questions

• If a genie granted you one work-related wish right now, what would you ask for?
• Which fictional character would you most want on your team and why?

Ideas and tips for your retrospective meeting

• Set the scene with a quick line of story framing at the start so everyone understands how each topic maps to the Aladdin theme.
• Keep the fun without losing focus — the goal is still real, actionable insights, so timebox each section to stay on track.
• Encourage specificity in the Treasures and Traps so wins can be repeated and obstacles genuinely fixed.
• Use dot voting to prioritise the Three Wishes so the team focuses energy on the improvements that matter most.
• Make sure every Magic Carpet Ride action has a clear owner and a due date before you close the session.
• Rotate the facilitator role each time you run a themed retro to keep perspectives and energy fresh.

Frequently asked questions