Draw Your Sprint!
A picture is worth a thousand sticky notes. Break away from traditional retrospective formats and unlock your team's creativity with this visually engaging retrospective template. Draw Your Sprint! uses visual expression to help agile teams reflect on their sprint in a fresh, insightful way through three distinct drawing exercises.
What Is Draw Your Sprint?
Draw Your Sprint! is an innovative retrospective technique that leverages visual thinking to uncover insights that might be missed in conversation-only formats. Rather than using standard sticky notes and text, team members express their thoughts about the sprint through drawings across three creative prompts:
- Draw the Sprint as an Animal - Represent the characteristics of your sprint as an animal
- Draw Your Face - Capture your emotional response to the sprint
- Draw Your Customer - Visualize how your customers might be using or reacting to the sprint output
This metaphorical approach helps team members express complex feelings and observations that can be difficult to articulate with words alone, while creating a relaxed atmosphere that encourages honest reflection.
Benefits & When to Use
This template is particularly valuable when:
- Your team feels stuck in a retrospective rut using the same formats repeatedly
- You want to access right-brain thinking and tap into emotional intelligence
- Team members struggle to articulate their thoughts verbally
- You need to uncover deeper, less obvious patterns in your sprint experience
- The team needs an enjoyable break from traditional formats while still gathering valuable insights
The visual approach helps identify underlying feelings about the sprint that might not surface in typical discussion formats and creates a more inclusive environment for team members who process information visually.
How to Run a Draw Your Sprint! Session
Total time: 40-50 minutes
Introduction (2-3 minutes)
- Explain the purpose of using drawings instead of words
- Emphasize there's no need for artistic talent—simple stick figures work perfectly
- Show the three drawing exercises and what each represents
Drawing Phase (10 minutes)
- Have each team member create their own index card for each exercise
- Use the marker pen tool to draw responses to each prompt
- Remind the team to think metaphorically rather than literally
Gallery Walk & Discussion (10 minutes)
- Take turns having each person briefly explain their drawings
- Look for common themes and patterns across the drawings
- Record these themes in the "Themes" section, separating positive and negative observations
Brainstorming Improvements (10-15 minutes)
- For positive themes: Discuss "How might we maintain these?"
- For negative themes: Discuss "How might we improve these?"
- Add ideas to the respective quadrants
Action Setting (10 minutes)
- Review all improvement ideas
- Select 2-3 key actions to carry forward
- Assign owners and timeframes to each action
Tips for a Successful Session
- Create psychological safety first. Some team members may feel self-conscious about drawing—emphasize that artistic skill is not important.
- Model vulnerability by sharing your own drawing first, especially if you're the facilitator.
- Look beyond the obvious in the drawings—ask about specific elements and what they represent.
- Prepare examples if your team is hesitant. Having sample drawings (not too polished!) can help break the ice.
- Vary the prompts based on your team's specific situation. For instance, you might ask teams to "Draw your code architecture" or "Draw how the team collaborated."
- Take screenshots of the drawings for future reference—they can provide valuable context when reviewing actions in subsequent sprints.
- Rotate through different exercises each sprint if you use this template regularly to maintain freshness.
By tapping into visual thinking, Draw Your Sprint! helps teams access insights and perspectives that might remain hidden in traditional text-based retrospectives, leading to more creative and effective improvements.
