What is the NFL Retrospective?
The NFL Retrospective borrows the language of American football for your team's retro. Football teams watch game film after every game to see what worked and plan the next one, and this format asks your team to do the same with its last sprint or project. The board has four columns. Touchdowns is for the wins and work you delivered. Lines of Scrimmage covers the constraints and rules you play within, both the ones that protect quality and the ones worth challenging. Interceptions and Tackles is for the setbacks and what slowed you down, and The next plays is where you decide what to try next. The constraints column is the unusual one. Most retros don't ask what boundaries the team is working inside, and naming them often explains why the same problems keep coming back. It goes down well with teams who enjoy sport or want a change from their usual routine. Football terms give the team a lighter way to talk about performance, which makes the harder conversations easier to start.
NFL Retrospective format
Touchdowns
What key outputs did we deliver?
Celebrate the wins and what the team delivered. Ask for big victories and small ones, and for individual as well as team accomplishments.
Lines of Scrimmage
What boundaries are we working within?
Talk about the constraints, rules and limits that shape the team's work. Help the team sort the boundaries that protect quality from the ones that might be worth challenging.
Interceptions and Tackles
What didn't go to plan? What slowed us down?
Keep this column safe for talking about setbacks. Look for patterns and systemic issues, not someone to blame, and invite honest reflection on technical and team challenges alike.
The next plays
What do we want to try next?
Help the team plan its next plays. Ask for specific, measurable suggestions, not vague ideas, and focus on changes you can make in the next sprint or iteration.
When to use this retrospective
- When morale needs a lift and you want the retro to feel different.
- After a major milestone or release, to review how the team played the whole season.
- When you're introducing new team members to retrospectives and want an approachable format.
- When the team needs a fresh angle on how it works and collaborates.
Suggested icebreaker questions
- If our team were an NFL team, what would our team name and mascot be, and why?
- What's your favorite comeback story (in sports or technology) and what made it successful?
Want a warm-up your team plays, not just answers out loud? Browse free icebreakers →
Ideas and tips for your retrospective meeting
- Keep the football metaphors consistent, but don't let them take over the retro.
- Bring in a few team stats, like cycle time or bugs found, to show trends the way a broadcast shows player stats.
- Rotate the coach (facilitator) role so different team members get to lead.
- Use a timer to keep each column focused, like the quarters of a game.
- Keep a playbook of strategies that worked, built up from retro to retro.
- Explain the terms for anyone who doesn't follow football, so nobody is left out.
Frequently asked questions
What is the NFL Retrospective?
What goes in the Lines of Scrimmage column?
When should you run an NFL-themed retrospective?
Do you need American football knowledge to use this template?
How long does an NFL retrospective take?
Related templates
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Working, Not Working Retrospective
Sort what's working from what isn't, then fix it.
Quarterly Retrospective
Step back from the sprints and review the whole quarter.
Baby Steps Retrospective
Pick one small change your team will actually finish.