Three Little Pigs Retrospective

Which of your team's practices would survive the wolf?

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House of Straw

Things that could easily fall apart

Our deployment checklist is just a hastily written note in Slack
We're tracking bugs in spreadsheets that nobody updates regularly
Our knowledge sharing depends entirely on one team member
House of Sticks

Things that are working but could be improved

Our code review process works but takes too long sometimes
Sprint planning is okay but we often underestimate complexity
Daily standups are useful but often run over time
House of Bricks

Things that are strong and stable

Our automated CI/CD pipeline consistently delivers quality code
Our pair programming sessions have greatly improved code quality
The team's commitment to writing unit tests is rock solid
The Big Bad Wolf

What threats or challenges are we facing?

Upcoming deadline pressure might tempt us to skip important steps
New competitor features are forcing us to rush development
Technical debt is growing faster than we can address it

What is the Three Little Pigs Retrospective?

The Three Little Pigs retrospective uses the children's story to test how sturdy your team's practices are. Your team sorts what it does into three houses: straw for weak points, sticks for things that need reinforcing, and bricks for strong foundations. A fourth column, the Big Bad Wolf, covers the outside threats that could blow any of them down. The houses make it easy to talk about durability. Straw is a quick fix or temporary workaround, like a deployment checklist that lives in a chat message. Sticks are processes that mostly work but need more structure. Bricks are the reliable practices you want to keep and copy elsewhere. The light theme makes it easier for people to admit that something they built is made of straw, so the conversation stays relaxed even when the problems are serious.

Three Little Pigs Retrospective Format

House of Straw

Things that could easily fall apart

Ask the team to name practices, processes or solutions that are temporary or fragile. These might be quick fixes or shaky workarounds that need a sturdier solution. Encourage honest discussion about why they're vulnerable and what risks they pose.

House of Sticks

Things that are working but could be improved

Focus on things that show promise but need reinforcing. These processes or practices have good foundations but need more structure or refinement before they're solid. Encourage discussion about the specific improvements needed.

House of Bricks

Things that are strong and stable

Identify and celebrate the team's strongest practices and processes. These are the elements that consistently work well and provide value. Discuss what makes these successful and how similar approaches might strengthen other areas.

The Big Bad Wolf

What threats or challenges are we facing?

Help the team identify external pressures, risks, or challenges that could threaten their success. This could include market forces, technical debt, or organizational changes. Focus on constructive identification of threats rather than complaints.

When to use this retrospective

  • When you want to check how stable and sustainable your team's practices are.
  • After a failure or setback has exposed weak points in how you work.
  • During growth or change, when you need to know your foundations will hold.
  • When process improvement talk has gone dry and you want a lighter way in.

Suggested icebreaker questions

  • If you could build a house from any material in the world, what would you choose and why?
  • What's your favorite childhood story and what lesson did it teach you?

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

Ideas and tips for your retrospective meeting

  • Explain the metaphor up front and give an example for each house.
  • Push for long-term fixes, not only the next quick patch.
  • Use the wolf column to name outside threats, and keep it from turning into a complaint session.
  • Pictures from the story help keep the theme going without much effort.
  • Keep the tone light, but make sure the serious items still end up with actions.
  • Save time at the end to plan how to turn straw and stick items into brick.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Three Little Pigs retrospective?
It's a retrospective format based on the children's story. Your team sorts its practices into House of Straw (fragile), House of Sticks (working but needs reinforcing) and House of Bricks (solid), then lists outside threats under the Big Bad Wolf.
When should you run a Three Little Pigs retrospective?
Use it to check how stable your processes are, after a failure exposes weak points, or during a period of growth or change. It also works when you want a lighter, story-led way into process discussions.
What do the House of Straw, Sticks, and Bricks columns mean?
House of Straw holds things that could easily fall apart, House of Sticks holds processes that work but need reinforcing, and House of Bricks holds practices that are solid and worth keeping. The Big Bad Wolf column lists outside threats.
How do you turn straw items into bricks?
Vote on the straw items that carry the most risk, then agree one concrete change for each, such as documenting a setup or automating a manual step. Check them at the next retro to see whether they've moved up a house.
How long does a Three Little Pigs retrospective take?
Plan on about an hour, since there are four columns to fill and discuss.

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