Trick or Treat Retrospective

Swap treats and tricks from your last sprint

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Treats

What sweet successes did we enjoy?

Our deployment process went smoothly this sprint. No rollbacks needed and everything worked first time.
The collaboration between design and development was fantastic. We caught potential issues early through regular check-ins.
I really appreciated how Sarah jumped in to help me debug that tricky issue. Saved me hours of frustration.
Tricks

What obstacles tripped us up?

The third-party API kept timing out, which blocked our progress for two days until we found a workaround.
We underestimated the complexity of the authentication feature. Should have broken it into smaller pieces.
Communication gaps between remote and office team members led to duplicate work on the reporting module.
Haunting Concerns

What worries are haunting the team?

I'm worried about the upcoming deadline for the client demo. We still have a lot of polish work to do.
The technical debt in the payment module is getting scary. It's becoming harder to add new features safely.
Concerned that we're not getting enough feedback from actual users. Are we building the right things?
Boo-tiful Ideas

What magical improvements can we conjure?

Let's implement a 'no meeting Wednesday' policy so everyone has at least one day for deep focus work.
I propose we create a shared troubleshooting guide for common issues to reduce time spent on repetitive problems.
We should schedule a knowledge-sharing session where everyone presents one thing they learned this sprint.

What is the Trick or Treat Retrospective?

The Trick or Treat Retrospective gives your sprint review a Halloween theme. Treats are the wins and the things that went well. Tricks are the obstacles that tripped the team up. Haunting Concerns is for the worries people are carrying into the next sprint, and Boo-tiful Ideas is where you come up with fixes. The Haunting Concerns column is the one that sets it apart. Most retros look back, but this one gives people a place to name a risk before it turns into a problem, such as a key developer going on leave or technical debt that's getting harder to work around. Calling problems tricks also takes some of the sting out of raising them. It's an obvious fit for the last retro in October, and it works any time your team is tired of the usual format. Explain the theme briefly at the start, since not everyone grew up with Halloween.

Trick or Treat Retrospective Format

Treats

What sweet successes did we enjoy?

Treats are the wins and the things that went well during the sprint. Ask for specific examples over generic praise, and make sure quieter team members get a chance to share.

Tricks

What obstacles tripped us up?

Tricks are the obstacles and the things that didn't go to plan. Keep the focus on problems, not people, and get specific about what happened so you can work out a fix.

Haunting Concerns

What worries are haunting the team?

This column is for the worries and risks people are anxious about. Take each concern seriously, then sort out which ones need an action and which need reassurance or more information.

Boo-tiful Ideas

What magical improvements can we conjure?

Brainstorm fixes for the tricks and concerns the team raised. Welcome wild ideas alongside practical ones, then narrow down to the changes the team can control and give each one an owner.

When to use this retrospective

  • Around Halloween, when the theme feels natural and timely.
  • When retrospective fatigue has set in and you want a fresh format to get people talking.
  • When you want problems to feel easier to raise, by calling them tricks instead of failures.
  • When the team is carrying worries about upcoming work and you want them on the table.

Suggested icebreaker questions

  • If you could dress up as any character for Halloween, who would you be and why?
  • What's your favorite Halloween candy or treat, and does it say anything about your personality?

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

Ideas and tips for your retrospective meeting

  • Set the mood with Halloween visuals or background music.
  • Make it clear that tricks are obstacles the team faced together, not a chance to blame individuals.
  • Split the time between treats and tricks so you celebrate wins and still deal with the problems.
  • Make sure the session ends with concrete next steps and an owner for each.
  • Not everyone is familiar with Halloween, so take a moment to explain the theme.
  • Start with treats to set a positive tone before moving on to tricks.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Trick or Treat retrospective?
It's a Halloween-themed retrospective with four columns: Treats (wins), Tricks (obstacles), Haunting Concerns (worries) and Boo-tiful Ideas (improvements).
When should we run a Trick or Treat retrospective?
Run it around Halloween, or any time a lighter format would help a tired team take part.
How do you run a Trick or Treat retrospective?
Introduce the theme, then give everyone a few minutes to add notes privately to each column. Start the discussion with Treats, move through Tricks and Haunting Concerns, and finish by turning the best Boo-tiful Ideas into actions with an owner.
What are Haunting Concerns?
They're the worries and risks on people's minds, such as a tight deadline or a knowledge gap before someone goes on leave. The column lets the team raise them before they become problems.
How long does a Trick or Treat retrospective take?
It fits a 60-minute retrospective. Timebox each column so Boo-tiful Ideas gets enough time at the end.

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