What is the Weather Report Retrospective?
The Weather Report retrospective uses weather as a powerful metaphor to help teams express their feelings and experiences about the work period. By associating different weather conditions with various aspects of their work environment, team members can communicate complex emotions and situations in an accessible, non-confrontational way. This technique encourages participants to think metaphorically about their experiences, making it easier to discuss challenging topics through the lens of familiar weather patterns. Team members can describe their experiences as 'stormy' for turbulent periods, 'sunny' for positive achievements, 'cloudy' for uncertain situations, or 'rainy' for challenging but necessary developments. Originally adapted from various agile practices, this retrospective format has become popular due to its intuitive nature and ability to facilitate open dialogue. It's particularly effective in multicultural teams where weather serves as a universal language for expressing emotions and experiences.
Weather Report Retrospective Format
Stormy
Turbulent
Encourage team members to share challenging situations or conflicts that created turbulence in their work. Focus on identifying the root causes of these 'storms' and discussing how to better weather future challenges.
Rainy
Interruptive
Guide participants to discuss situations that while challenging, brought necessary growth or learning opportunities. Like rain, these events might have been disruptive but could lead to future growth.
Cloudy
Promising
Help the team explore unclear or uncertain situations that have potential for either positive or negative outcomes. Focus on what information or actions could help 'clear the sky.'
Sunny
Cheerful
Celebrate successes and positive developments. Encourage the team to reflect on what contributed to these bright spots and how to create more of them.
When to use this retrospective
- When you want to encourage more emotional intelligence and awareness in team discussions
- During periods of significant change or uncertainty to gauge team sentiment
- To help teams who struggle with direct communication express themselves through metaphors
- When you need a fresh approach to understanding team morale and satisfaction
Suggested icebreaker questions
- If your perfect workday was a type of weather, what would it be and why?
- What's your favorite kind of weather for being productive?
Ideas and tips for your retrospective meeting
- Encourage participants to explain why they chose particular weather conditions to represent their experiences
- Use follow-up questions to explore how the team might 'improve the weather' in challenging areas
- Consider tracking weather patterns over multiple retrospectives to identify trends
- Allow team members to use multiple weather conditions if needed to express complex situations
- Create a safe space where all weather reports are valid and accepted without judgment
- Use the weather metaphor to discuss both team and organizational climate
New to retrospectives? Read our guide on how to run a retrospective →
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