Are you looking for a fresh, engaging way to conduct your team retrospectives? Imagine a room full of adults, coloured Sharpies in hand, tapping into their creativity to share insights and ideas. This was my experience facilitating the “Draw Your Weapon” retrospective template for the first time. You can create your own unique template based on this that suits your team's needs.
For example:
Draw your own weapon — To achieve sprint goal
Draw your own weapon — To improve team dynamics
Draw your own weapon — To encourage stakeholder involvement
Draw your own weapon — To focus on sprint backlog
I designed a retrospective template to facilitate a discussion about what do we need to conquer our quarterly initiatives.
Draw Your Own Weapon — To Conquer Quarterly Goals
Objective:
Empower team members to visualise and express the key qualities and tools they need to successfully tackle quarterly initiatives through a creative and engaging activity.
Materials Needed:
Paper or drawing sheets
Coloured pencils, markers, sharpies or crayons
Optional: Digital drawing tools for remote teams.
1. Introduction (10 minutes)
Facilitator’s Note: Begin by explaining the objective of the activity.
Explanation: “In this activity, we will each draw a unique weapon that symbolises the qualities, tools, and strategies we need to conquer our quarterly initiatives. This is a fun way to identify and share what we believe are the most important attributes for success in the upcoming quarter.”
2. Drawing the Weapon (15 minutes)
Each team member will receive a sheet of paper and drawing materials.
Draw a weapon that you think represents what you need to be successful in the quarter. This weapon can be anything — a sword, shield, magic wand, futuristic gadget, etc.
Think about the features of your weapon. What special abilities or attributes does it have? Label these features on your drawing.
Example: For me as an SM (Scrum Master), I need creativity to focus on quarterly initiatives. I might draw a foldable magic wand with a feature labelled “Creativity Booster store it when not needed”. I don’t always need it, so I can just fold it and put it away.
3. Sharing and Discussion (20 minutes)
Each team member will present their weapon to the group, explaining the features and how they relate to conquering quarterly goals.
Encourage everyone to ask questions and discuss the features. This will help in understanding each other’s perspectives and needs.
4. Group Reflection (5 minutes)
Facilitator’s Note: Lead a group reflection on the common themes and unique ideas presented.
Discussion Points:
What were some common features across different weapons?
Were there any unique features that stood out?
How can we support each other in harnessing these qualities and tools in achieving quarterly goals?
5. Action Planning (10 minutes)
Based on the features discussed, identify actionable steps or strategies to incorporate these qualities into your quarterly plans.
Write these strategies on a whiteboard or large poster board for everyone to see.
My experience of facilitating this retrospective and its outcome:
Facilitating the “Draw Your Weapon” retrospective template for the first time was a unique and enjoyable experience. The team enthusiastically participated in the activity, showcasing their creativity and engagement. Team members drew various imaginative weapons and even constructed prototype paper aeroplanes as their chosen weapons, which added a playful and dynamic element to the session. It was fascinating to see how a group of adults, armed with coloured sharpies and a topic to draw, could be so happy and creative. The insights and ideas shared by the team were genuinely interesting, and the activity started with high engagement. However, I noticed that the enthusiasm dipped towards the end.
One area where I struggled was in wrapping up the session. Given the open nature of the activity, I had anticipated a wide range of diverse topics, but the main theme that emerged was “Focus.” Team members had already outlined their individual plans to maintain focus, so there wasn’t much to add, and the session ended on a less energetic note.
What could I have done differently?
I could have created an action item mind map based on the central theme “Focus”. Encouraged the team to expand on this central idea and create concrete action items. I also asked them to elaborate on what they expect from the team members and add it to this mind map. This would have given them the opportunity to dive deeper into the concept and align on expectations.
This was my first time facilitating this retrospective, and I believe that the first attempt is always a learning experience. The second time is for making improvements, and by the third time, you can really see the magic happen. I’m looking forward to applying what I have learned and facilitating an even better session next time.
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