Sailboat or Speedboat – Sprint Retrospective

Sailboat Retrospective is a fun and creative way for teams to reflect on the sprint and identify areas for improvement. It’s called “Sailboat” because the metaphor of a sailboat helps the team visualize their journey, the obstacles they faced, and the direction they want to sail towards in the future. The Sailboat or Speedboat Method for Sprint Retrospectives is an easy way to: adopt, reflect and map the team’s way forward easily, in a fun, tactile and visual way. It helps the team to reflect on what’s going well and what could be better, analyze their sails and anchors and identify opportunities for improvement or change. When to use:

At the end of a sprint or project phase.
When starting a new project to set goals and identify potential challenges.
With small to medium-sized teams (typically 5-9 members).

Main purpose of Speedboat or Sailboat Retrospective are

Helps teams visualize their progress, obstacles, and goals in a creative way.
Encourages collaborative reflection on the past sprint and planning for the future.

The idea is that the team is on a sailboat, heading towards their goal while dealing with winds and icebergs along the way. Winds help propel the boat forward but obstacles such as pirates, rocks, and stubborn anchors represent the risks that the team might encounter that could slow them

down or even stop them from getting to where they need to be.

Boat: The Scrum team
Sails: The things that helped us move forward (Wind, Cloud)
Anchors: The things that held us back (Pirates, Rocks, Sharks, Icebergs, and Anchors)
Island: The goals to be achieved
Sun: What the team liked, the actions or attitudes that deserve thanks
Reef: Represent future obstacles that have been identified, which the group is likely to encounter in the subsequent iterations.

Sailboat vs Speedboat: Key Differences

Aspect	Sailboat Retrospective	Speedboat Retrospective
Metaphor	Sailboat on ocean with wind/anchors	Motorboat with engine/throttle issues
Focus	Natural forces, risks (rocks/sun)	Mechanical problems, fuel (resources)
Best For	Creative teams exploring opportunities	Technical teams fixing process issues
Visuals	Wind, anchors, rocks, island goal	Engine, waves, rocks, finish line

Note: The original Sailboat technique doesn’t have a Sun – I added it to give them a feeling of accomplishment as most teams should understand that there are already things that work just fine. And it’s definitely worth the time to help the team to build on this base.

Different Steps of Sailboat Retrospective

Step 1: Set the Stage – Draw a Sailboat

Start by setting clear expectations for the meeting, including the purpose, goals, and agenda. Make sure everyone is aware of the retrospective’s purpose and that it is a safe space for open and honest communication.

Let the team draw a picture of a sailboat floating in the water, and fill half the space above and half below the water with the sun, anchors, wind, rocks, reef, and an island or you can simply print pictures and just attach them to the board or any available wall space. This visual representation can help the team better understand their progress.

Note: Team drawing the boat helps to act as an icebreaker and get the group participating and on the boat.

Step 2: Name the Sailboat

Decide the topic/theme of the retrospective and name the boat accordingly.

Step 3: Add mission

Ask the team to write what their mission is, what they want to achieve, and what their goal is, and add these post-it notes to the hull of the boat. The team can amend or clarify or replace as the game continues.

The boat can be saved and revisited as part of sprint reviews, where sails and anchors can be reviewed, rescored, removed, and new sails and anchors added.

Tips: Ask team members to share their successes and challenges during the sprint or project. This allows everyone to see what worked well and what didn’t, which can help identify areas for improvement.

Step 4: Add Sails and Anchors

Ask the team to add sails and anchors to their boat. Sails represent things going well, what’s good, and what is putting the wind into their sails. Anchors are the things that could be going better, the anchors holding them back and limiting progress.

Step 5: Scale your sails and anchors

Ask the teams to scale their sales and anchors, their sails from +1 to + 10, is it a +1 or 2, a nice but relatively small in-value sail, or a main sail that’s providing huge momentum, a +9 or +10? The anchors from -1, a minor impediment, or -10 this anchor have stopped us from moving forward at all.

Now team should brainstorm and discuss each note, seek to clarify the meaning of the note, and then decide as a group where on the scale it should be. Teams can vote by Dot Voting. The team can compare Sails and Anchors. Is it a bigger or smaller sail/anchor than the previous one? The key here is engaging in group discussions, awareness, and consensus on what the sail/anchor is and how it impacts the team. Sticky notes may need to be clarified with extra information or split into multiple notes to score separately.

Step 6: Add ideas for +1 raising sails and/or anchors

Once all sails and anchors have been discussed and scored ask the team to capture activities and improvements to help raise sails further and raise up anchors. Ask the team to think of small actions that would raise one of the sails, or anchors on the boat by just one point, raise an anchor from a -6 to a -5, or raise a sail from a 2 to a 3. Capture ideas for improvements on post-it notes and place them beside the relevant anchor or sail.

Remember to celebrate success and plan action items for current as well as future obstacles that have been identified during the above brainstorming.

If there are numerous suggestions for raising sails and anchors then team activities like estimation games, MoSCoW prioritization, and Dot Voting to help discuss, rank, and decide upon which improvements to take forward. Map the improvements/actions into the team backlog/future work or on a dedicated change and improvement board to help track and measure progress.

Sailboat Retrospective Example

Let’s take an example of a team that developed a mobile app during the sprint. The team was able to deliver the features on time but faced some challenges during the sprint. Here’s how they conducted the Sailboat Retrospective:

Draw a Sailboat: The team drew a sailboat with a sail, a mast, a keel, a waterline, wind, rocks, and a shore.
Write the Sprint Goal: The team wrote the sprint goal at the top of the sailboat: “Develop a mobile app with login, registration, and dashboard features.”
List the Positive Factors: The team listed the positive factors that helped them during the sprint, such as good communication, pair programming, and code reviews. They wrote these on the sail and the mast, as the wind filled the sail and propelled the sailboat forward.
List the Negative Factors: The team listed the negative factors that hindered their progress during the sprint, such as a lack of automated testing, dependency on external APIs, and unclear requirements. They wrote these on the keel and the rocks, as the obstacles that slowed down the sailboat or could cause it to crash.
Identify the Improvement Areas: The team discussed the negative factors and identified areas for improvement.

Example 1: Dev Team Sprint

Wind: New CI/CD pipeline sped deployments.
Anchors: Legacy code reviews slowed merges.
Rocks: Upcoming AWS migration risks.
Actions: Pair programming sessions.

Example 2: Marketing Agile Pod

Wind: Collaborative design tools.
Anchors: Approval bottlenecks.
Rocks: Ad platform changes.
Goal: Hit Q2 leads target.

Open-ended Questions for Sailboat Retrospective

What makes them happy?
What’s slowing them down?
What’s propelling them forward? What are the gusts of wind that help our sailboat to move forward?
What else?
Is this bigger or smaller than the last item we scaled?
If you could cut away one anchor which would it be? How could you do that?
If you could raise one sail to 10 which would it be? How could you do that?
What would happen if all anchors were cut away? what would change?
If you could add an ‘iron sail’ (an engine!) to your sailboat what would it be?
How can we raise this sail from a 5 to a 6?
How can we raise this anchor from a -7 to a -6?

Sailboat or Speedboat Facilitation Tips

First collect all the anchors, as it’s easier for most teams to organize their current problems.
Ask the team to turn each anchor into goals, desires, or wishes and put them before the cloud to represent the gusts of wind pushing the boat forward.
Use these “winds” to define a desirable goal you will use as a true north for the rest of the retrospective.
Use data to help guide the retrospective discussion, such as team velocity or user feedback. Data can help provide a more objective view of the team’s performance.
Based on the discussion, identify specific action items that the team can work on to improve. Make sure to assign ownership of these items and set clear deadlines.
Follow up on the action items from the retrospective in the next meeting to ensure progress is being made.
Keep the retrospective focused on finding solutions, not blaming individuals or criticizing past decisions. Maintain a positive and constructive atmosphere to encourage open communication and a sense of teamwork.

Sailboat or Speedboat Challenges & Strategies to Overcome

Sailboat Sprint Retrospectives are an important part of the Agile development process, as they allow teams to reflect on their progress and identify areas for improvement. However, there are several common challenges that teams may face during these retrospectives. Here are some of the most common challenges and tips on how to overcome them:

Lack of Participation: In some cases, team members may be hesitant to speak up during a retrospective, which can hinder the effectiveness of the session. To overcome this, the facilitator can encourage participation by creating a safe and open environment where all team members feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas. They can also try using interactive activities or icebreakers to get everyone engaged.
Blaming and Finger-Pointing: Retrospectives can sometimes turn into a blame game, with team members pointing fingers at each other for mistakes or issues. This can lead to a negative atmosphere and prevent constructive feedback. To avoid this, the facilitator should set ground rules at the session’s beginning that encourage constructive criticism and discourage personal attacks.
Lack of Actionable Insights: In some cases, retrospectives can feel like a waste of time if the team does not develop actionable insights they can implement in future sprints. To prevent this, the facilitator can ensure that the team focuses on identifying specific actions that they can take to improve in the next sprint. They can also assign action items to team members and set deadlines for completion.
Dominant Voices: Sometimes, one or two team members may dominate the conversation during a retrospective, preventing others from sharing their thoughts and ideas. To prevent this, the facilitator can use round-robin or anonymous feedback to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to speak.
Lack of Follow-Through: Even if the team comes up with actionable insights during the retrospective, there is a risk that they may not be implemented in future sprints. To prevent this, the facilitator can assign ownership of action items to specific team members and follow up on their progress in subsequent retrospectives.
Variations:
- Some versions include additional elements like the sun (representing things that make the team happy) or choppy waves (representing anxieties)
- Can be adapted for remote teams using online collaboration tools

Scrum Master Role in Facilitating Sailboat Retrospective

The Scrum Master plays a critical role in facilitating a successful Sailboat Sprint Retrospective. Here are some key responsibilities of the Scrum Master in this process:

Creating a Safe and Open Environment: The Scrum Master needs to create a safe and open environment where team members feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and feedback. The Scrum Master should encourage open and honest communication, actively listen to the team members, and ensure that everyone has an opportunity to share their perspectives.
Guiding the Retrospective Process: The Scrum Master should guide the retrospective process, ensuring that it stays on track and that the team is making progress towards actionable improvements. The Scrum Master should use the Sailboat metaphor to help the team identify areas of strength and improvement, and facilitate a discussion that leads to actionable items.
Encouraging Collaborative Problem Solving: The Scrum Master should encourage the team to work collaboratively to solve problems and address issues identified during the retrospective. The Scrum Master should facilitate a discussion where the team can brainstorm potential solutions and identify concrete action items.
Facilitating Continuous Improvement: The Scrum Master should ensure that the team is focused on continuous improvement and that the actionable items identified during the retrospective are implemented. The Scrum Master should work with the team to develop a plan to implement the changes and monitor progress towards the goals identified.
Monitoring Team Dynamics: The Scrum Master should also monitor team dynamics during the retrospective to identify any issues that may be hindering team performance. The Scrum Master should work with the team to address these issues and promote a positive team culture.

Sprint Retrospective – Tools and Techniques: Click Here

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