New Year Kickoff Retrospective

Close out last year and set this year's team goals.

Try this retrospective live

Highlights and Achievements

What were your biggest accomplishments or successes last year?

I'm really proud of how our team rallied together to meet that tight holiday deadline. It was a true team effort, and we delivered an exceptional product.
Launching our new website before the holidays was a major milestone. The positive customer feedback and increased sales made all the hard work worthwhile.
I'm grateful for the opportunity to lead a cross-functional project team. It was challenging, but we learned so much about collaboration and problem-solving.
Challenges and Lessons Learned

What were the biggest challenges you faced, and what did you learn?

Managing the increased workload during the holidays was a real struggle. We learned the importance of better resource planning and setting realistic expectations.
Dealing with that supply chain disruption was a major headache. It showed we need better contingency plans and more than one supplier.
Navigating the remote work environment was challenging at times. We learned the value of clear communication, virtual team-building activities, and setting boundaries.
Goals and Priorities

What are your goals and priorities for the upcoming year?

One of my top priorities is to improve our project management processes to ensure we can handle increased workloads more efficiently.
I want to focus on building a stronger customer feedback loop to better understand and anticipate their changing needs.
One goal for me is to improve how our team collaborates and communicates, especially in a remote or hybrid setup.
Continuous Improvement

How can we continue to improve and grow as a team?

We should consider implementing regular retrospectives or feedback sessions to continuously identify areas for improvement and course-correct as needed.
Encouraging cross-functional collaboration and knowledge sharing could help us draw on different perspectives and expertise across the organization.
Staying up-to-date with industry trends and best practices through professional development opportunities and networking events could give us a competitive edge.

What is a New Year Kickoff Retrospective?

The New Year Kickoff Retrospective is a session for the first weeks of January. Your team looks back over the previous year's achievements, challenges and lessons, including the busy holiday stretch, then agrees on goals for the year ahead. It draws a clean line between last year's work and this year's plans. The board has four columns. Highlights and Achievements celebrates the year's biggest wins. Challenges and Lessons Learned covers what was hard and what it taught you. Goals and Priorities is where each person names what they want to achieve this year, and Continuous Improvement asks how the team can keep getting better at the way it works. Starting with the wins puts people in the right frame of mind to talk honestly about the hard parts. You can adapt the prompts to your team's situation, whether that's a product team planning its roadmap or an operations team coming off its busiest season. Either way, people leave with shared goals, a few changes to how you work and actions with owners.

New Year Kickoff retrospective format

Highlights and Achievements

What were your biggest accomplishments or successes last year?

This column is for celebrating the previous year's wins. Ask people to share specific examples and stories, individual and team, and recognize the work behind each success.

Challenges and Lessons Learned

What were the biggest challenges you faced, and what did you learn?

This column opens an honest discussion about the challenges and obstacles the team faced last year. Treat them as chances to learn. Ask people to share what each challenge taught them and how they'll use that lesson this year.

Goals and Priorities

What are your goals and priorities for the upcoming year?

This column turns last year's successes and challenges into goals for the new year. Ask for goals that are specific and actionable, for individuals and for the team, and talk about how they connect to your organization's wider strategy.

Continuous Improvement

How can we continue to improve and grow as a team?

This column looks at how the team can keep improving. Talk about ways to learn, experiment and try new things, from changing processes to working together differently. Make regular reflection part of the plan, so the team keeps adjusting through the year.

When to use this retrospective

  • At the start of a new year or quarter, to review the previous period and set goals for the next one.
  • After a major project, initiative or busy season, to look at what went well, what was hard and what you learned.
  • As a regular check on how the team works, so problems get talked about before they grow.
  • When new team members have joined, to share the team's history and agree on goals and priorities together.
  • During a period of change, to help the team adjust to new circumstances or a new direction.

Suggested icebreaker questions

  • What was the most memorable or impactful moment for you during the past year, either professionally or personally?
  • If you could sum up the past year in one word or phrase, what would it be and why?

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

Ideas and tips for your retrospective meeting

  • Make it safe to be honest, so every perspective gets heard.
  • Use a shared board, physical or digital, to capture and organize ideas as they come up.
  • Have a dedicated facilitator keep the discussion on track and make sure everyone gets a turn.
  • Break into smaller groups for some columns to get deeper discussion and more perspectives.
  • Give every action item a clear owner and follow up on it in the weeks after the session.
  • Celebrate the wins, and treat the failures as lessons the team can use this year.

Frequently asked questions

What is a New Year Kickoff Retrospective?
It's a retrospective held at the start of the year. Your team reviews the previous year's highlights, challenges and lessons, then sets goals and priorities for the year ahead.
When should you run a New Year Kickoff Retrospective?
Run it in the first week or two of January, once the team is back from the holidays. That way you close out last year and agree on goals before regular work picks up again.
How is this different from a regular sprint retrospective?
It looks back over a whole year instead of a single sprint, including the holiday-season highs and lows, and it adds goal setting for the year ahead.
How long does a New Year Kickoff Retrospective take?
Plan for 60 to 90 minutes. A full year gives you more to talk about than a sprint, and goal setting takes time to do properly.

Related templates

End of Year Retrospective

Look back on your team's year and plan the next one

Project Kickoff Planning

Agree on goals, risks and milestones before work starts.

Project Post Mortem Template

Review any project or incident, capture lessons learned

Fiscal Year-End Review

Review the year's numbers and plan the next one

Ready to run this retrospective?Try this retrospective live