Retro format 27 of 27
Constellation retrospective
Read statements aloud; people stand closer to the centre the more they agree.
- 30–40 min
- 2 to 20 people
- Works remote
Good for
Seeing where the team really stands without anyone speaking first. Remote: drag your avatar on a shared whiteboard.
Facilitator tip
Ask the people at the edge first, and thank them. The edge is where the useful disagreement is.
The Constellation board, drawn out.
No columns for this one. Here's what it looks like with a software team.
- 1I know the team's top priority.
- 2I can deploy on a Friday without worrying.
- 3I can take a week off without things breaking.
How to run a Constellation retrospective.
About 40 minutes as written. Change the length in the agenda builder below and every step scales with it.
- 1
Check in
5 min
Say why you're here and that the retro is about the system, not people. Go through last retro's action items: done, in progress, or dropped on purpose.
- 2
Statements
12 min
Read five or six statements one at a time. People move toward the centre the more they agree. Look at the pattern, then ask one person near the edge and one near the centre why.
- 3
Pick a topic
8 min
Which statement showed the biggest split? Discuss it.
- 4
Agree action items
10 min
Pick one to three actions from the top topics. Each gets one owner and a due date, and goes into the next sprint's backlog, not only the retro notes.
- 5
Close
5 min
Read the actions and owners back. Ask everyone to rate the retro 1 to 5 (return on time invested) and change one thing next time if the scores are low.
Prompts to put on the board.
Read one out when the writing stalls, or paste them next to the columns.
- I know what the team's top priority is.
- I can deploy on a Friday without worrying.
- Code reviews are fast enough.
- I can take a week off without things breaking.
- I feel safe saying I disagree.
Your Constellation agenda, timed to your slot.
Fill in the team and the time. Copy the agenda into Confluence, Notion or Google Docs as formatted text, or grab the Markdown.
Length
- 0:00–0:05Check in · 5 min
- 0:05–0:17Statements · 12 min
- 0:17–0:25Pick a topic · 8 min
- 0:25–0:35Agree action items · 10 min
- 0:35–0:40Close · 5 min
Payments team Sprint 14 retro: Constellation
Length: 40 min
Read statements aloud; people stand closer to the centre the more they agree. Seeing where the team really stands without anyone speaking first. Remote: drag your avatar on a shared whiteboard.
Agenda
| Time | Step | Min |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00–0:05 | Check in | 5 |
| 0:05–0:17 | Statements | 12 |
| 0:17–0:25 | Pick a topic | 8 |
| 0:25–0:35 | Agree action items | 10 |
| 0:35–0:40 | Close | 5 |
How to run each step
- Check in (5 min). Say why you're here and that the retro is about the system, not people. Go through last retro's action items: done, in progress, or dropped on purpose.
- Statements (12 min). Read five or six statements one at a time. People move toward the centre the more they agree. Look at the pattern, then ask one person near the edge and one near the centre why.
- Pick a topic (8 min). Which statement showed the biggest split? Discuss it.
- Agree action items (10 min). Pick one to three actions from the top topics. Each gets one owner and a due date, and goes into the next sprint's backlog, not only the retro notes.
- Close (5 min). Read the actions and owners back. Ask everyone to rate the retro 1 to 5 (return on time invested) and change one thing next time if the scores are low.
Prompts
- I know what the team's top priority is.
- I can deploy on a Friday without worrying.
- Code reviews are fast enough.
- I can take a week off without things breaking.
- I feel safe saying I disagree.
Last retro's action items
| Action | Owner | Status |
|---|---|---|
Action items
| Action | Owner | Due |
|---|---|---|
Copy pastes as formatted text into Google Docs, Notion or Confluence. Markdown is for GitHub, Jira or Slack.
Try next, when this one gets stale.
- 04
Sailboat
- 45–60 min
- 2 to 20
- Great remote
- 16
Futurespective
- 45–60 min
- 2 to 20
- Great remote
- 01
Start Stop Continue
- 30–60 min
- 2 to 20
- Great remote
Book the retro on a day the whole team is in.
A retro with two people out hears half the sprint, and its actions have no owners. Forgot shows sprints, holidays and time off on one board, so you can see who's out on retro day before you send the invite.
Constellation retrospective questions
What is a Constellation retrospective?
Read statements aloud; people stand closer to the centre the more they agree. Seeing where the team really stands without anyone speaking first. Remote: drag your avatar on a shared whiteboard.
How long does a Constellation retro take?
30 minutes at the shortest, and about 40 minutes as written here. The agenda builder on this page stretches or squeezes each step to fit your slot.
Can you run Constellation remotely?
Yes, with some prep. Draw the board on a shared whiteboard before the call, and give people a few extra minutes for each step, since it needs more back-and-forth than a column retro.
What team size is Constellation for?
2 to 20 people. With more people, split into groups for the writing and discussion, then bring the top topics back together.
What can I run instead of Constellation?
Sailboat, Futurespective, Start Stop Continue. They suit similar sprints from a different angle. Rotate formats every two to four sprints so the retro doesn't go stale.