Alice in Wonderland Adventure Retrospective

Make sense of a sprint that felt like Wonderland.

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Down the Rabbit Hole

What unexpected surprises did we tumble into this sprint?

A last-minute scope change dropped on us mid-sprint and we had to scramble.
We discovered an entire undocumented module while fixing what looked like a small bug.
A key stakeholder suddenly went quiet, leaving us guessing about priorities.
The Mad Hatter's Tea Party

What moments felt chaotic, confusing, or out of order?

Our standups felt like everyone was talking about a different sprint.
Requirements kept changing direction, like the tea cups kept moving.
Two teams were working on the same fix without realizing it.
The Cheshire Cat's Wisdom

What did we learn or finally see clearly this sprint?

We learned that smaller pull requests get reviewed far faster.
Pairing early saved us from a major design mistake.
I realized we need a clearer definition of done.
The Queen of Hearts

What decisions or actions should we decree for next time?

By royal decree, standups are cut to 10 minutes.
We decree that scope changes only happen at sprint boundaries.
I command we create a single source of truth for decisions.

What is the Alice in Wonderland Adventure Retrospective?

Some sprints feel like falling down a rabbit hole. The Alice in Wonderland Adventure Retrospective, based on the story by Lewis Carroll, maps four scenes from Alice's adventures onto prompts for your team. You start with the surprises you tumbled into, move through the chaos of the Mad Hatter's tea party, stop for the Cheshire Cat's wisdom and finish with the Queen of Hearts handing down decrees for next time. The playful framing helps people lower their guard and raise problems that might otherwise feel awkward to mention. Down the Rabbit Hole is for surprises, good or bad. The Mad Hatter's Tea Party covers what felt chaotic or out of order. The Cheshire Cat's Wisdom captures what the team finally saw clearly, and The Queen of Hearts turns it all into decisions with owners. A familiar story makes it easier to say what felt disorienting and which way to go next. It suits agile teams, project teams and anyone who wants a break from the standard retro without losing the outcomes. The theme brings some energy back to the meeting, and the last column makes sure you leave with real actions.

Alice in Wonderland Adventure retrospective format

Down the Rabbit Hole

What unexpected surprises did we tumble into this sprint?

Capture the surprises, sudden changes and situations the team fell into during the iteration, good or bad. Ask about the moments that caught people off guard. Keep it curious, not critical, so people feel safe describing the chaos.

The Mad Hatter's Tea Party

What moments felt chaotic, confusing, or out of order?

Look at the messy, confusing or contradictory parts of the sprint where things felt out of sync, like communication breakdowns, conflicting instructions or processes that made no sense. Keep the tone light so people can laugh about the chaos while still naming what to fix.

The Cheshire Cat's Wisdom

What did we learn or finally see clearly this sprint?

Capture the lessons and moments of clarity from the work. Like the Cheshire Cat turning up to point the way, ask the team for the realizations that will help it choose a better path next time. Focus on knowledge worth keeping.

The Queen of Hearts

What decisions or actions should we decree for next time?

The Queen of Hearts issues commands, so this column turns reflection into decisions. Ask the team for clear decrees: specific, achievable steps, not vague intentions. Give each one an owner so it actually happens, and keep the tone playful so nobody loses their head.

When to use this retrospective

  • When your retros feel repetitive and you want a themed format to get people involved again.
  • After a sprint full of surprises and sudden changes that left the team feeling disoriented.
  • When you want people to share more openly, and a playful story will help them relax.
  • For team-building sessions where reflection and connection matter as much as action items.
  • When you're onboarding a new team and want a memorable, low-pressure first retro.

Suggested icebreaker questions

  • If you could shrink or grow like Alice to solve one work problem, which would you choose and why?
  • Which Wonderland character best matches your mood after this sprint, and what would they say?

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

Ideas and tips for your retrospective meeting

  • Open with a short story intro so everyone knows how each column maps to Alice's adventures.
  • Enjoy the theme, but make sure each column still produces something concrete.
  • Timebox each stage so no single column takes over the meeting.
  • Remind everyone that curiosity matters more than polish here. Quieter people contribute more when they hear that.
  • Group similar ideas before voting so discussion goes to the themes that matter most.
  • Close by turning your Queen of Hearts decrees into owned actions with due dates.

Frequently asked questions

How long does an Alice in Wonderland Adventure retrospective take?
Most sessions take 45–60 minutes for a team of five to eight. Allow more if your team enjoys the story and wants to go deeper on each column.
When should I use this themed retrospective?
When your usual retros feel stale, after a chaotic or surprising sprint, or when you want a creative format that still ends in real improvements.
How is this different from a standard Start, Stop, Continue retrospective?
Start, Stop, Continue sorts ideas into three plain lists of behaviors. This format uses four scenes from the story to cover surprises, chaos, lessons and decisions, and the story makes it easier for people to raise awkward topics.
Is this retrospective suitable for remote teams?
Yes. In TeamRetro everyone adds ideas, groups them and votes in real time, so the format works the same for distributed and hybrid teams.
Do participants need to know the Alice in Wonderland story?
No. A short intro from the facilitator and the column prompts give everyone enough context.
Can I customize the topics for my team?
Yes. You can rename, reorder or add columns in TeamRetro to fit your team and keep the Wonderland theme.

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