Back to School!

Back to School! is an original retrospective format that uses the metaphor of preparing for a new school year to help teams take stock of their practices.

Every student knows the ritual: before the new year begins, you need to sort through your school supplies. Some are worn out and need to be thrown away, others are still in good condition and can be reused, and finally, some new ones need to be purchased.

This metaphor translates perfectly to a team context:

• To throw away 🗑️: What practices, processes, or habits are no longer working and should be discarded?
• To reuse ♻️: What's still working well and should be kept for the next sprint?
• To buy 🛒: What new practices, tools, or approaches should we acquire and start using?

The nostalgic and playful tone of this format makes it ideal for teams looking for a fresh perspective on their retrospective. It works particularly well at the start of a new project phase, after vacations, or when the team wants to do a thorough review of its working methods.

The session concludes with the team defining concrete actions to implement the identified changes.