What Went Well, What Didn’t: Explained With Examples
It is the vanilla ice cream of retrospectives. Simple. Classic. Reliable.
But "simple" doesn't mean "easy". Many teams struggle to get past surface-level comments like "Good sprint" or "Too many bugs".
In this guide, we will provide you with 50+ concrete examples of what to write in these columns to spark deep, meaningful debate.
Column 1: What Went Well
This is not just for patting yourselves on the back. It is for identifying repeatable success.
Examples: Process
- "The new code review checklist caught 3 critical bugs before QA."
- "Daily standups finished in 10 minutes every day."
- "Refinement sessions were well-prepared; stories had clear acceptance criteria."
- "We swarmed on the 'Checkout' ticket and finished it in 1 day."
Examples: Tools
- "Copilot helped me write the unit tests 2x faster."
- "The new CI runner reduced build time by 5 minutes."
- "Clear Retro's timer kept us focused during the retro."
Examples: People
- "Sarah jumped in to help me debug the auth issue on Friday night."
- "The design team gave us assets 2 days early."
- "We respected the 'No Meeting Wednesday' rule."
Column 2: What Didn't Go Well
This is the meat of the retrospective. Be honest, but be kind.
Examples: Process
- "We underestimated the complexity of the 'Search' feature."
- "Scope creep: 3 new tickets were added mid-sprint."
- "QA didn't get the build until Thursday, leaving no time for fixes."
- "Too many context switches between projects."
Examples: Communication
- "I didn't know who was working on the API endpoint."
- "The requirements in Jira were vague."
- "We debated the database schema for 3 days without a decision."
Examples: Environment
- "The staging environment was down for 4 hours."
- "Too many meetings interrupted my flow state."
- "My laptop is slow when running the Docker containers."
How to Facilitate It
Step 1: Set the timer for 10 minutes.
Step 2: Ask everyone to write at least 2 cards for each column.
Step 3: Group the cards. (e.g., put all "Slow CI" cards together).
Step 4: Vote on the "What Didn't Go Well" items.
Step 5: Create an action item for the top vote-getter.
Conclusion
The "What Went Well" retrospective is a classic for a reason. It works.
Ready to run one? Clear Retro lets you spin up this board in seconds.