Start Stop Continue Retrospective: The Simplest Retro Format That Works

What is a Start Stop Continue retrospective?

The team reflects on the last sprint (or project, or quarter) and sorts observations into three columns:

• Start — new practices, experiments or behaviors the team wants to try.
• Stop — things that are hurting the team or adding no value and should end.
• Continue — things that are working well and should be protected and kept.

Because every note is already phrased as a change (or a keep), the format moves naturally into action items — which is exactly why it has survived for decades.

Example notes for each column

Start: "Start writing acceptance criteria before sprint planning." / "Start demoing unfinished work to one user every week." / "Start a 15-minute mid-sprint check-in."

Stop: "Stop booking meetings over lunch." / "Stop merging pull requests without a second review." / "Stop letting one person be the only contact for the payment vendor."

Continue: "Continue the Friday demo — it keeps stakeholders close." / "Continue pairing on risky changes." / "Continue posting blockers in the channel early; it worked twice this sprint."

Notice the pattern: specific, observable, and about the team's own behavior — not vague wishes or blame.

How to run it: step by step (~35 minutes)

1. Set the stage (5 min) — State the period you're reviewing and the prime directive: everyone acted with the information they had; this is about the system, not people.
2. Silent brainstorming (8 min) — Everyone adds notes to all three columns at the same time, one idea per note. Silence prevents the loudest voice from anchoring the room.
3. Group and read (7 min) — Cluster duplicates, read each cluster aloud, and clarify anything ambiguous in the team's own words.
4. Discuss and vote (10 min) — Dot-vote (3 votes per person) to find the highest-impact items, then discuss the top two or three: root cause, and what "good" looks like.
5. Actions (5 min) — Convert the top items into 1–3 actions with an owner and a date. A Start becomes an experiment with a review date; a Stop needs an explicit replacement habit or it quietly returns.

When to use Start Stop Continue

• Your team is new to retrospectives and needs the simplest possible structure.
• You want actions fast — the format is deliberately action-shaped.
• Energy is low and a short, focused retro beats an elaborate one.

Choose a different format (Sailboat, 4Ls) when the team is bored of it, when you need forward-looking risk discussion, or when reviewing a long period where learning matters most.

Common mistakes to avoid

• The Stop column becomes blame. "Stop being slow in reviews" names people; "Stop merging without a second review" names a process. Facilitate toward process.
• Vague starts. "Communicate better" is not an action. Push for observable behavior: "Post a daily async update in the channel by 10 a.m."
• A Continue column full of everything. If everything continues, nothing is being chosen. Ask what the team would protect if time got tight.
• Too many actions. Three committed actions beat ten wishes. Park the rest visibly for next time.

Frequently asked questions