--- title: "Sprint retro poll template for Slack" url: "https://simplepoll.rocks/templates/sprint-retrospective/" description: "Run an anonymous sprint retrospective in Slack: copy-paste /poll templates for a quick rating, a full retro survey, and a follow-up vote on what to change." --- # Sprint retrospective poll for Slack When to use it: At the end of every sprint, before the retro meeting, so people can answer honestly and you walk in with the themes already on the table. How often: Every sprint A retro poll collects what went well, what didn't and what to change before anyone is in the room. People write more, and more honestly, when they answer alone and anonymously than when they speak first in front of the team. Post it on the last day of the sprint, close it before the meeting, and spend the meeting on the themes instead of on collecting them. ## Example polls Paste any of these into the message box in Slack. ```text /poll "How did this sprint go?" "Rough" "Below par" "OK" "Good" "Great" scale anonymous ``` The 10-second version. A single anonymous rating you can track sprint over sprint. *Free.* ```text /poll "Sprint retro" "Anonymous. Two minutes." anonymous close after 2 days --- "How did the sprint go?" scale --- "What went well?" short text --- "What did not go well?" short text --- "What should we try next sprint?" short text optional ``` The full retro as one anonymous survey that closes itself before the meeting. *Premium: surveys (several questions), closing automatically.* ```text /poll "Which change should we try next sprint?" "Shorter standups" "No-meeting Wednesdays" "Demo every Friday" ranked close after 1 day ``` The follow-up. Rank the top suggestions from the retro and commit to the winner. *Premium: closing automatically.* ```text /poll "What is one thing that slowed you down this sprint?" short text :thumbsup: anonymous order-results-by-votes ``` One open question people can upvote, so the most shared problem rises to the top. *Free.* ## How to word it Keep it to three or four questions. The classic set works because each one asks for a different thing: - **How did the sprint go?** A 1 to 5 rating. It gives you a number you can compare sprint to sprint. - **What went well?** Free text. Name the sprint so answers stay specific. - **What didn't?** Free text. Ask about the work, not about people. - **What should we try next sprint?** Free text, optional. Not everyone has an idea every time, and a required box gets filler. Make the whole retro `anonymous`. A retro is feedback, and named feedback on a bad sprint gets polite answers. ## When to send it Post it the morning of the last sprint day and `close after 1 day` or `close after 2 days` (Premium), so it closes before the retro meeting. Closing it matters: answers settle, and nobody adds a late comment while you are presenting. If the team is spread across time zones, add `remind 2 hours before closing` (Premium) so the late half of the team sees it again. ## What to do with the results Read every answer, group them into a handful of themes, and count them. Bring the themes to the meeting, with one or two answers quoted word for word. Don't try to work out who wrote what. If people suspect you do, the next retro will be empty. End with a decision. Take the top three suggestions and run a ranked vote so the team picks one change to try. One change that sticks beats five that don't. ## The mistake people make Collecting the same feedback every sprint and never acting on it. If "too many meetings" tops the list three sprints running, the retro has stopped working. Open the next poll's description with what you changed since the last one. ## FAQ ### Can the retro be fully anonymous? Yes. Add `anonymous` and nobody sees who answered what, including you as the creator. That applies to every question in a survey. ### Do I need Premium for a retro poll? A single rating or a single free-text question works on Free. A multi-question survey, `close after` and reminders are Premium. You can try them with a 14-day free trial: type `/simplepoll trial` in Slack. See [pricing](https://simplepoll.rocks/pricing/). ### Can I run it automatically every sprint? Yes, on Premium. Recurring polls are set up from the Simple Poll modal in Slack, not in the `/poll` text. See [how to create a recurring poll](https://simplepoll.rocks/guides/how-to-create-a-recurring-poll-in-slack/). ### How do I get the answers out of Slack? On Premium, the poll's creator can export the results as a CSV from the poll's settings. ## Used by - [Slack polls for engineering teams](https://simplepoll.rocks/use-cases/engineering-teams/) ## Related - [What is a retrospective?](https://simplepoll.rocks/glossary/retrospective/): A retrospective is a meeting at the end of a piece of work where the team looks at how it worked, not what it built, and picks changes to try next time. In Scrum it closes every sprint. - [How to create a survey in Slack](https://simplepoll.rocks/guides/how-to-create-a-survey-in-slack/): A survey in Simple Poll is one Slack message with several questions behind it. People click the survey's Open button, answer in a pop-up without leaving Slack, and you get the results in the same place. Surveys are a Premium feature, with up to 20 questions each. - [How to create an anonymous poll in Slack](https://simplepoll.rocks/guides/how-to-create-an-anonymous-poll-in-slack/): An anonymous poll in Simple Poll hides who voted for what from everyone, including the person who created it. The poll still counts every vote and shows the totals. It's free on every plan. - [Team mood check-in poll for Slack](https://simplepoll.rocks/templates/team-mood-check-in/): When you want an early, honest signal on how the team is feeling, before it shows up as missed deadlines or resignations. - [Slack polls for engineering teams](https://simplepoll.rocks/use-cases/engineering-teams/): Engineers will answer a poll if it takes ten seconds and replaces a meeting. They will ignore one that reads like an HR form. The polls that stick in engineering channels are short, tied to the sprint, and end in a decision someone acts on. ## Sources - [What is a multi-question poll?](https://help.simplepoll.rocks/article/129-what-is-a-multi-question-poll) - [How to create a recurring poll in Slack](https://help.simplepoll.rocks/article/124-how-to-create-a-recurring-poll-in-slack) - [How do I export the results of a poll?](https://help.simplepoll.rocks/article/83-how-do-i-export-the-results-of-a-poll) --- Simple Poll is the #1 polls and surveys app for Slack. Add it to Slack: https://simplepoll.rocks/. Pricing: https://simplepoll.rocks/pricing/.