What Went Well Retrospective: Simple Format for Positive Teams

The What Went Well retrospective (also called “WWW” or “Worked Well / Improve”) is one of the simplest retrospective formats available. With just two categories—what worked and what to improve—it’s perfect for quick retros, new teams, or when you want a positive-focused discussion.

This guide shows you how to run an effective What Went Well retrospective in as little as 20 minutes.

What Is the What Went Well Retrospective?

The What Went Well format uses two straightforward categories:

Category	Question	Focus
What Went Well	What worked? What succeeded?	Celebrate positives
What Could Be Improved	What could be better?	Identify opportunities

That’s it. No complex metaphors, no multiple columns—just wins and opportunities.

Why This Format Works

Simplicity: Anyone can understand it instantly—no explanation needed.

Positive framing: “What could be improved” is gentler than “what went wrong” or “stop doing.”

Speed: Can run in 20-30 minutes when time is limited.

Balance: Ensures positives are acknowledged alongside areas for growth.

The Two Categories Explained

What Went Well ✓

The What Went Well column captures successes, wins, and things that worked during the sprint.

What belongs here:

Successful deliveries
Effective processes
Good teamwork moments
Technical wins
Personal achievements
Things to celebrate

Examples:

“Shipped the new checkout flow on time”
“Daily standups were focused and quick”
“Great collaboration between frontend and backend”
“Zero production incidents this sprint”
“New team member onboarded smoothly”
“Stakeholder feedback was positive”

Prompts:

What are you proud of from this sprint?
What would you want to repeat?
What made you happy about how we worked?

What Could Be Improved ↑

The What Could Be Improved column identifies opportunities for growth without blame or negativity.

What belongs here:

Friction points
Process gaps
Communication issues
Things that felt hard
Missed opportunities
Areas for growth

Examples:

“Code reviews took too long—often 2+ days”
“Requirements were unclear at sprint start”
“Too many meetings interrupted focus time”
“Deployment process has manual steps”
“We underestimated the complexity of the API work”
“Cross-team communication could be smoother”

Why “improve” instead of “went wrong”: The word “improve” implies forward motion and growth rather than failure and blame. It’s psychologically safer and more constructive.

Prompts:

What frustrated you this sprint?
What would you change if you could?
Where did we struggle?

When to Use What Went Well

Situation	Why It Works
Short time available	Can complete in 20-30 minutes
New teams	Simple format, easy to understand
First retrospective	Low barrier to entry
After successful sprints	Celebrate wins appropriately
Teams new to retros	Gentle introduction
Quick check-ins	Lightweight format

When to Choose Other Formats

Need more structure: Try Start Stop Continue or 4Ls
Processing difficult emotions: Try Mad Sad Glad
Action-focused teams: Try DAKI or Starfish
Visual teams: Try Sailboat

How to Run a What Went Well Retrospective

Before the Meeting

Preparation:

Schedule 20-45 minutes
Create board with two columns
Review previous action items
Prepare sticky notes or digital tool

Step-by-Step Facilitation

Step 1: Set the Stage (3 minutes)

Brief introduction:

“Today we’re doing a simple What Went Well retrospective. We’ll look at two things: what worked well this sprint, and what we could improve. Let’s start with the positives.”

Step 2: Silent Brainstorming (7 minutes)

Have everyone write items independently:

Minimum 2 items per column
One idea per sticky note
No discussion yet

💡 RetroFlow makes this easy—completely free, no signup required.

Go around and share positives first:

Each person reads their items
Brief clarification if needed
Celebrate the wins together
Group similar items

Facilitator tip: Don’t rush this section. Celebrating successes builds morale.

Now share improvement areas:

Each person reads their items
Keep it constructive—focus on situations, not people
Group similar themes
Note patterns across team members

Step 5: Prioritize and Discuss (10 minutes)

Vote on which items to focus on:

3 votes per person across both columns
Discuss top-voted items
For “Went Well”: How do we ensure this continues?
For “Improve”: What specifically would we change?

Step 6: Create Action Items (5 minutes)

Convert discussion into 1-3 actions:

Type	Item	Action	Owner
Improve	Slow code reviews	Implement 24hr review SLA	Alex
Went Well	Quick standups	Keep the 15-min timebox	Team

Step 7: Close (2 minutes)

Summarize actions
Thank participants
End on a positive note

What Went Well Template

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                   WHAT WENT WELL RETROSPECTIVE                          │
├─────────────────────────────────┬──────────────────────────────────────┤
│       WHAT WENT WELL ✓          │      WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED ↑        │
│                                 │                                      │
│   What worked? What succeeded?  │   What could be better?              │
│                                 │                                      │
│                                 │                                      │
│                                 │                                      │
│                                 │                                      │
│                                 │                                      │
│                                 │                                      │
│                                 │                                      │
│                                 │                                      │
│                                 │                                      │
│                                 │                                      │
└─────────────────────────────────┴──────────────────────────────────────┘

ACTION ITEMS:
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Action                          │  Owner          │  Due Date         │
├──────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────┼───────────────────┤
│                                  │                 │                   │
│                                  │                 │                   │
└──────────────────────────────────┴─────────────────┴───────────────────┘

Sample Questions

What Went Well Questions

What made you smile this sprint?
What would you brag about to another team?
What exceeded your expectations?
What collaboration moment stood out?
What process worked smoothly?
What are you proud of?

What Could Be Improved Questions

What caused frustration?
What felt harder than it should?
What would you do differently?
Where did we waste time?
What would help you work better?
What patterns should we break?

Running this format remotely? Check our guide to remote retrospectives for virtual facilitation tips.

Tips for Facilitating

Balance the Discussion

If “Went Well” is empty:

Ask: “What didn’t fail? That’s a win.”
Prompt: “What are we taking for granted?”
Note: Some sprints are tough—that’s okay.

If “Improve” is empty:

Ask: “If you had a magic wand, what would you change?”
Prompt: “What’s one small friction point?”
Note: Might indicate psychological safety issues or excessive optimism.

Keep It Constructive

Transform complaints into improvements:

Complaint	Reframe
”Meetings are terrible"	"Meeting efficiency could improve"
"Management doesn’t listen"	"Stakeholder communication could be better"
"The code is a mess"	"Code quality has room for improvement”

For Remote Teams

Use a digital collaboration tool
Give async brainstorming time option
Celebrate with emoji reactions
Consider anonymous input for improvements

Variations

Worked Well / Do Differently

Same concept, different wording:

Worked Well: What worked?
Do Differently: What would we do differently?

WWW (What Went Well / What Didn’t / What’s Next)

Adds a forward-looking third column:

What Went Well: Successes
What Didn’t Go Well: Challenges
What’s Next: Actions for improvement

Glad / Improve

Emotional variation:

Glad: What made us glad?
Improve: What needs improvement?

Simpler:

Plus Delta — Similar two-column format

More structured:

Start Stop Continue — Three action categories
4Ls Retrospective — Four balanced categories

Different focus:

Mad Sad Glad — Emotion-centered
DAKI — Process-centered

See all options in our sprint retrospective formats guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a What Went Well retrospective?

A What Went Well retrospective is a simple two-column format that asks “What went well?” and “What could be improved?” It is one of the easiest formats to facilitate and is great for teams new to retrospectives.

Is What Went Well too simple for experienced teams?

It can be. Experienced teams often benefit from formats with more categories (like 4Ls or Starfish) that surface more nuanced feedback. But the simplicity of What Went Well can still be refreshing after several sprints of complex formats.

How do you turn What Went Well into action items?

Focus on the “could be improved” column. For each item, ask the team: “What is one specific thing we could do differently next sprint?” Vote on the top 2-3 items and assign owners with deadlines.

Run Retrospective with RetroFlow

Most retro tools charge per user or cap free boards at 3. RetroFlow doesn’t — every feature is free, no account needed. Share a link and your team starts contributing in seconds.

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Summary

The What Went Well retrospective is simple and effective:

What Went Well ✓ — Celebrate successes
What Could Be Improved ↑ — Identify opportunities

Use it when you need a quick retro, are new to retrospectives, or want a positive-focused discussion.

Sprint Retrospective Formats Guide - 30+ formats
Plus Delta Retrospective - Similar simple format
Start Stop Continue - Slightly more structured
Retrospective Questions - Questions for any format

Retrospective Formats Templates Retrospectives