3 L's

A lightweight three-column retrospective for teams that want quick, honest feedback. Participants capture what they liked, what they learned and what they lacked during the sprint. Stripped down to the essentials, it's an easy starting point for teams new to retrospectives or short on time.
Like

What you appreciated about the sprint

Roman

Roman

Liked the shorter planning — 45 minutes was enough
Maria

Maria

Liked that support joined the demo
Learned

New knowledge — about the product, the system or the team

Anna

Anna

Learned the cache invalidation was the root of both bugs
Daria

Daria

Learned that half the team had never seen the deploy script
Lacked

What was missing: information, time, access or a decision

Maria

Maria

Lacked a decision on the API version before we started
Kirill

Kirill

Lacked test data that looks like real accounts

The 3 L's template is a simple yet effective retrospective tool that helps teams reflect on their sprint or project performance. It consists of three columns: "Like," "Learned," and "Lacked." The purpose of this template is to identify what worked well, what was learned, and what can be improved upon.

Column 1: Like

This column is for listing what the team felt went well during the sprint or project. Examples of what could go in this column include:

  • Effective communication between team members
  • Smooth collaboration on a particular task
  • High-quality work produced during the sprint

Column 2: Learned

This column is for listing what the team learned during the sprint or project. This can include lessons learned from challenges faced, new skills acquired, and any other knowledge gained. Examples of what could go in this column include:

  • A new tool was discovered that improved efficiency
  • A team member learned a new coding technique
  • The team learned about a new project management method

Column 3: Lacked

This column is for listing what the team felt was lacking during the sprint or project. This could be areas for improvement or any obstacles encountered. Examples of what could go in this column include:

  • Lack of resources or tools needed to complete a task
  • Difficulty in communication with a stakeholder
  • Limited time to complete a task

By reflecting on what was liked, learned, and lacked, teams can identify areas for improvement and make changes to increase their efficiency and success in future sprints or projects.

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