Sailboat Retrospective
Reflect on what worked, what helped your team move forward, and define what you should change
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- Last edited
- Nov 5, 2025
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- Nova
About this process
Identify risks during your path and allows you to identify what slows you down and what helps you to achieve their objectives. Could be done before the initiative/project/sprint starts and once is done.
The process in detail
1 step- 1
⛵ The Sailboat Retrospective
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1. ⛵ The Sailboat Retrospective
Reflect as a team on what’s helping or slowing progress toward a shared goal — and leave with concrete actions to move faster.
🌊 What It Is
The Sailboat Retro is a visual metaphor for your project or team journey.
You imagine your team as a sailboat heading toward a goal (the island). Along the way, some things push you forward (the wind), others hold you back (the anchors), and there may be risks ahead (the rocks).
It’s one of the most effective and engaging retrospectives because it helps teams think about progress, obstacles, and risks without blaming anyone.
🧭 How to Set It Up
Each team member can add ideas under these symbols.
🏝️ The Island — your goal or vision (what success looks like).
💨 The Wind — what’s helping you move forward.
⚓ The Anchors — what’s slowing you down.
🪨 The Rocks — upcoming risks or threats that could derail you.
☀️ (Optional) The Sun — things to celebrate or recognize.
- Sun Make us feel good
- Wind Helping us move forward
- Goal Vision (what success looks like)
- Rocks Risks
- Anchor Held us back