Happy - Meh - Sad

A quick emotional check-in that takes the team's temperature with just three faces. Participants sort their experiences into happy, meh and sad, giving a fast read on overall mood without heavy structure. It works well as a warm-up or for short, frequent retrospectives where time is tight.

Happy :)

Moments that gave the team energy

Roman

First sprint in months where nothing rolled over

Maria

The new dashboard got used by support on day one

Meh :|

Things that were neither good nor bad — and that is the signal

Anna

Documentation got written but nobody read it

Daria

The refactor is half done and paused

Sad :(

What drained the team or went clearly wrong

Maria

We lost two days to an environment nobody owns

Kirill

The customer escalation reached us through the CEO, not support

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Happy - Meh - Sad is a simple retrospective template that helps teams reflect on their experiences and emotions during a sprint or project. The aim of this activity is to identify what made the team feel happy, neutral or sad during the process.

This template consists of three categories: Happy, Meh and Sad, represented by the corresponding emoticons. Participants can add sticky notes or cards to each category to share their experiences, thoughts and emotions.

The Happy category is for things that went well, made the team feel good, and contributed to their success.

The Meh category is for things that were neutral, not particularly good or bad, and didn't have much of an impact on the team's experience.

The Sad category is for things that didn't go well, made the team feel frustrated, and hindered their progress.

By reflecting on the Happy, Meh and Sad categories, the team can gain a better understanding of what worked well, what was neutral, and what needs improvement. This information can then be used to make changes and improvements for future projects.

This template is a great way for teams to communicate openly and honestly about their experiences and emotions, without feeling judged or criticized. It provides a space for everyone to share their thoughts and contribute to the team's continuous improvement.

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