Thumbs Up / Down / New Ideas / Recognition Retrospective

This four-panel retrospective template combines traditional feedback mechanisms with dedicated spaces for team innovation and appreciation. Perfect for agile development teams looking to reflect on recent work while fostering creativity and recognition among team members.

What Is the Thumbs Up/Down/New Ideas/Recognition Retrospective?

This comprehensive retrospective format expands on the classic "what went well/what didn't" approach by adding two valuable dimensions: innovation and appreciation. The template provides four distinct quadrants for feedback:

  1. Thumbs Up - Positive aspects worth celebrating
  2. Thumbs Down - Areas for improvement
  3. New Ideas - Forward-thinking suggestions for team enhancement
  4. Recognition - Explicit acknowledgment of team members' contributions

By separating these areas, the template creates space for both critical assessment and constructive ideation, while ensuring team accomplishments and individual efforts receive proper recognition.

Benefits & When to Use

This template is particularly valuable when:

  • Your team needs a balanced retrospective that covers both past performance and future improvements
  • Team morale could benefit from explicit peer recognition
  • You want to encourage innovation alongside reflection
  • You're looking to break out of standard retrospective formats that might have become routine

Teams using this template typically experience:

  • More balanced discussions that don't dwell exclusively on problems
  • Increased psychological safety through the recognition component
  • A healthy pipeline of improvement ideas that come directly from the team
  • Stronger team bonding as members acknowledge each other's contributions

How to Run a Thumbs/New Ideas/Recognition Session

  1. Set the Stage (5 minutes)

    • Introduce the template and define the timeframe for reflection (e.g., "the past sprint" or "last month's release")
    • Establish that everyone should contribute to all four quadrants

  2. Individual Reflection and Note Creation (10 minutes)

    • Have team members silently add sticky notes to all four areas:
      • Thumbs Up: What went well or positively surprised you
      • Thumbs Down: What could have gone better or caused frustration
      • New Ideas: Fresh approaches that could improve team performance
      • Recognition: Specific praise for colleagues' actions or contributions

  3. Group Review and Discussion (20-25 minutes)

    • Take turns having team members present their notes
    • Use the participant highlighting feature to focus on one person's contributions at a time
    • Encourage brief clarification questions, saving deeper discussion for after all notes are shared

  4. React and Prioritize (5-10 minutes)

    • Use Metro Retro's reaction tools to show agreement/disagreement with sticky notes
    • Identify patterns and themes across all quadrants
    • Vote on which items deserve immediate attention

  5. Action Planning (10 minutes)

    • Based on voting results, create specific action items in the Actions panel
    • Assign owners and timeframes to each action
    • Be sure to include actions related to implementing new ideas, not just fixing problems

Tips for a Successful Session

  • Separate ideation from evaluation - During the note creation phase, encourage wild ideas without judgment; save evaluation for later discussion
  • Balance your time - While problems often dominate retrospectives, ensure equal attention to recognition and new ideas
  • Try "Yes, and..." techniques - When discussing new ideas, have team members build on each other's suggestions rather than immediately critiquing them
  • Make recognition specific - Guide team members to cite specific actions in their recognition notes rather than generic praise
  • Focus on actionable outcomes - Ensure that discussions, especially around "Thumbs Down" items, lead to concrete next steps
  • Rotate facilitators - This template works well with different facilitation styles, so consider rotating this responsibility

This retrospective format helps teams maintain a healthy balance between addressing problems, celebrating successes, acknowledging contributions, and looking toward future improvements—all essential elements for continuous team development.

Use this template