Broken Car Breakdown Retrospective

Broken Car Breakdown retrospective format

The Engine

What is driving us forward and keeping us moving?

The Engine represents the strengths, processes, and people powering your team's progress. Ask participants to celebrate what's working well and what they want to protect and keep running. This positive starting point sets a constructive tone before diving into problems.

Flat Tyres

What is slowing us down or stopping us completely?

Flat Tyres are the blockers, friction points, and obstacles dragging the team's pace. Encourage people to be specific and blameless — focus on the issue, not the individual. These are the items most likely to become action points.

Warning Lights

What risks or early warning signs should we watch?

Warning Lights are the dashboard alerts — issues that aren't critical yet but could cause a breakdown if ignored. Use this topic to surface emerging risks, tech debt, and signals the team should monitor before they become bigger problems.

Fuel

What do we need to keep going and recover?

Fuel is what the team needs to repair, refuel, and get back on the road — support, resources, or changes to keep momentum. Translate these into clear, owned actions so the next sprint runs smoother.

When to use this retrospective

• When your team feels stuck or slowed down and you want a clear way to diagnose the blockers holding you back.
• When standard retrospectives have become stale and you want an engaging metaphor to spark honest conversation.
• When recurring problems keep resurfacing and you need to identify root causes and early warning signs.
• After a difficult sprint or project phase where momentum dropped and the team needs to refuel and reset.
• When onboarding new members who benefit from a shared, intuitive way to talk about team friction.

Suggested icebreaker questions

• If your team were a vehicle right now, what would it be — a sports car, a minivan, or a car up on bricks?
• What's the longest road trip you've ever taken, and what kept you going?

Ideas and tips for your retrospective meeting

• Set the scene with the car metaphor at the start so everyone understands what each part represents before contributing.
• Keep Flat Tyres and Warning Lights blameless — focus on processes and situations rather than individuals to avoid defensiveness.
• Time-box each section so the team doesn't dwell too long on problems and leaves room to define Fuel actions.
• Group similar ideas together before voting to surface the biggest issues and avoid duplicate discussion.
• Make sure every Fuel item has a clear owner and next step, otherwise good intentions never leave the garage.
• Encourage quieter team members to contribute by allowing anonymous input so all voices are heard.

Frequently asked questions