Energy Levels Retrospective Template (Free)

What is the Energy Levels Retrospective?

The Energy Levels Retrospective uses battery levels to talk about how much energy your team had last sprint. Each person sorts the sprint's activities by what they did to their charge, which makes it easier to discuss sustainable pace and burnout without anyone having to make a speech about how tired they are. The board has four columns. Full Battery is for what energized people. Medium Battery covers work that took the right amount of energy, the steady habits worth keeping. Low Battery is for what drained them. Re-charge is where the team agrees what would restore its energy next sprint. Look for patterns. If several people put the same meeting under Low Battery, that's your first action. Medium Battery is easy to skip, but it shows the routines that work and shouldn't be cut when you trim the calendar.

Energy Levels Retrospective format

Full Battery What energized you in the last sprint?: Ask for the activities, interactions and achievements that gave people energy. Look for what comes up for several people, since that's what to protect when plans change.
Medium Battery What took up the right amount of energy in the last sprint?: These are the activities that neither drain nor energize the team. They're often the steady habits worth keeping, so note them before you change anything.
Low Battery What drained you in the last sprint?: Make it safe to name what's draining people. Focus on systemic causes, like interruptions or unclear requirements, not on individuals.
Re-charge What will re-energize you for the next sprint?: Turn the discussion into actions for next sprint. Mix one or two quick wins with a longer-term change, and give each an owner.

When to use this retrospective

When team morale seems low or varies a lot from sprint to sprint.
After a particularly intense stretch of work, to check for burnout.
During organizational change, to keep an eye on how people are coping.
When you're trying to set a more sustainable pace.
As a regular check on the team's energy, before burnout shows up.

Ideas and tips for your retrospective meeting

Share your own energy level first so others feel safe being honest.
Look for patterns in what consistently energizes or drains the team.
Spend as much time on fixes as on naming problems.
Talk about both individual energy and what affects the whole team.
Use what you learn when planning the next sprint and sharing out the work.
Check at the next retrospective whether the changes made a difference.

Frequently asked questions

What is an Energy Levels retrospective?

It's a retrospective that sorts the last sprint by its effect on your team's energy, using four columns: Full Battery, Medium Battery, Low Battery and Re-charge. It helps you spot burnout risks early.

What questions does the Energy Levels retrospective ask?

It asks what energized you last sprint, what took the right amount of energy, what drained you, and what will re-energize you for the next one.

When should a team run an Energy Levels retrospective?

Run it after a demanding sprint or project, or every few sprints alongside your regular retrospectives, to catch early signs of burnout.

How long does an Energy Levels retrospective take?

Most teams need 45 to 60 minutes. Save the last part of the session for Re-charge so you leave with actions.

What goes in the Medium Battery column?

Work that took a fair amount of energy without wearing people out, like a well-run planning meeting or routine code reviews. These are the habits worth keeping.

What is the Energy Levels Retrospective?

Energy Levels Retrospective format

Full Battery

Medium Battery

Low Battery

Re-charge

When to use this retrospective

Suggested icebreaker questions

Ideas and tips for your retrospective meeting

Frequently asked questions

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