Good / Bad / Start / Stop Retrospective
The Good / Bad / Start / Stop retrospective is a structured yet versatile feedback framework that helps development teams reflect on their processes, identify areas for improvement, and create actionable next steps. This classic four-panel approach provides a balanced view of team performance by examining what's working well, what isn't, and what changes should be implemented.
What Is a Good / Bad / Start / Stop Retrospective?
This retrospective model divides feedback into four distinct categories:
- Good - Practices, behaviors, or events that benefited the team and should continue
- Bad - Elements that hindered progress or created friction during the work period
- Start - New ideas or approaches the team should begin implementing
- Stop - Activities or processes that are no longer serving the team and should be discontinued
The simplicity of these four categories makes this retrospective particularly accessible for teams new to reflective practices, while still providing enough structure to generate meaningful insights and actions.
Benefits & When to Use
The Good / Bad / Start / Stop retrospective is ideal for:
- Teams new to retrospectives who need a straightforward framework
- Situations requiring a comprehensive yet uncomplicated review of team performance
- Projects or sprints where you want to balance celebrating successes with addressing challenges
- Times when you need clear, actionable outcomes from your retrospective
This format helps teams maintain what's working well while systematically addressing pain points, creating a balanced approach to continuous improvement. The action-oriented "Start" and "Stop" quadrants ensure the session produces tangible next steps rather than just observations.
How to Run a Good / Bad / Start / Stop Session
Duration: 60-65 minutes
Set the context (5 minutes)
- Introduce the retrospective format and its four categories
- Define the scope: what time period or project are you reflecting on?
- Remind participants that the goal is honest, constructive feedback
Individual reflection and note creation (10 minutes)
- Have team members silently add sticky notes to each quadrant
- Encourage everyone to contribute to all four categories
- Remind participants to be specific and concise in their notes
Share and discuss (20 minutes)
- Take turns presenting sticky notes, moving through one quadrant at a time
- Ask clarifying questions to ensure understanding
- Use the participant highlight feature (click on someone's icon) to focus on one person's contributions at a time
Identify patterns and priorities (10 minutes)
- Group similar sticky notes together
- Look for themes across quadrants (e.g., communication issues appearing in multiple areas)
- Add reactions to notes that resonate with you using the Reaction tool
Vote and prioritize (5 minutes)
- Each team member gets 3-5 votes to identify the most important issues
- Focus on items with the highest impact or urgency
Create action items (15 minutes)
- For the top 3-5 voted items, develop specific, measurable actions
- Assign owners and deadlines to each action
- Document these in the dedicated Actions section
Tips for a Successful Session
- Balance the quadrants: If you notice one area getting significantly more attention, prompt the team to consider the others as well.
- Watch for defensiveness: When discussing "Bad" items, focus on systems and processes rather than individuals.
- Connect "Start" with "Stop": Often, stopping one practice creates space to start another.
- Be specific with actions: Avoid vague commitments like "communicate better" - define exactly what will change.
- Follow up: Begin your next retrospective by reviewing the action items from this session.
- Remote facilitation: Use Metro Retro's timer feature to keep timeboxes clear and the session moving forward.
- First-timers: For teams new to retrospectives, spend extra time explaining the purpose of each quadrant before starting.
This straightforward yet effective format provides an excellent foundation for team reflection, making it perfect for both retrospective beginners and experienced teams looking for a reliable framework to drive continuous improvement.
