The Speed Car Retrospective
Looking for a dynamic way to visualize your team's momentum? The Speed Car retrospective template uses a racing car metaphor to identify what's propelling your team forward and what's holding you back. This visual approach helps development teams analyze performance factors in an engaging, intuitive way.
What Is The Speed Car Retrospective?
The Speed Car retrospective is a visual feedback technique that uses a racing car metaphor to represent your team's progress. The template features two key components:
- The Engine - Representing the positive forces driving your team forward (strengths, successes, good practices)
- The Parachute - Representing factors slowing your team down (obstacles, challenges, inefficiencies)
This metaphor creates an intuitive framework for teams to reflect on what's working well and what needs improvement, making abstract concepts more tangible and discussion-oriented.
Benefits & When to Use
The Speed Car retrospective is particularly valuable when:
- You need to quickly identify both positive and negative performance factors
- Your team would benefit from a visual representation of progress
- You want to energize a retrospective with a fresh, engaging format
- Team momentum feels inconsistent or unclear
- You're looking for a straightforward way to gather balanced feedback
Development teams will appreciate how this template creates a shared visual language for discussing progress and impediments, making it easier to prioritize improvements.
How to Run a Speed Car Retrospective Session
Total time: 30-45 minutes
Introduction (5 minutes)
- Explain the metaphor: the engine represents what drives the team forward, while the parachute represents what slows them down
- Clarify that the goal is to identify both positive forces and obstacles affecting team performance
Individual Reflection (10 minutes)
- Ask each team member to add sticky notes to both areas
- Engine area: What practices, behaviors, or factors are propelling the team forward?
- Parachute area: What issues, challenges, or practices are slowing the team down?
Group Discussion (15 minutes)
- Take turns revealing and discussing each sticky note
- Encourage team members to elaborate on their contributions
- Use the participant highlighting feature to track who contributed what
Add Reactions (5 minutes)
- Have team members add reactions to sticky notes they strongly agree with or feel are particularly important
- This helps identify patterns and prioritize topics for further discussion
Define Actions (10 minutes)
- Based on the most popular or impactful items, create specific action items in the Actions zone
- Focus on both reinforcing positive drivers and addressing key impediments
Tips for a Successful Speed Car Retrospective
Extend the metaphor if it helps your discussion. Ask about the road (is it well-paved?), the destination (do you know where you're going?), or the environment (who's watching or supporting you?)
Encourage balance between the engine and parachute sections to ensure you're not just problem-solving but also reinforcing what's working
Prompt deeper thinking by asking team members who they identify with in the metaphor - are they the driver, part of the car, or even the pit crew?
Use dot voting if you have numerous sticky notes to help prioritize which items deserve immediate action
Keep the metaphor light - while yes, a parachute would normally be deployed intentionally to slow a race car down, focus on the visual representation of forces working for and against your team's progress
By structuring your retrospective around this compelling visual metaphor, you'll drive more engaging discussions and clearer insights about your team's performance dynamics.
