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Start - Stop - Continue

Start Stop Continue (SSC) is a simple retrospective format that encourages team members to look at the positive and negative aspects of their recent performance. This can be done in the form of a meeting or online survey. It starts with people discussing successes, failures and opportunities they have identified over the past period. They then determine what should be continued, stopped and started. The template is beneficial as it forces teams to identify improvements and understand why something has worked well or not. It also helps to establish a culture of continuous improvement. As the process is focused on the past, present and future, it gives teams the chance to reflect, document and plan ahead. This increases the accountability of the team and strengthens communication between team members.
Start
Stop
Continue
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What is a Start Stop Continue Retrospective?

The Start Stop Continue retrospective is a framework for teams to reflect on their past performance and make improvements for the future. It covers three main focus areas:

  • Start
  • Stop
  • Continue

Start

This group contains items the team should be working on but aren’t just yet. “Start” is often home to new ideas that solve problems in different ways.

Stop

This group is all about those little annoyances and frustrations that team members face in their everyday jobs. If it’s a source of negativity in the team, it goes in this bucket.

Continue

This is where teams keep the stuff they’re most proud of. These items are things that are working well, producing results for the team, and so should be continued.

Benefits of using the Start Stop Continue Retrospective

  • Provides a democratic process for every team member to voice their opinions
  • Uncovers previously-unexplored ideas and insights
  • Improves team cohesion and productivity
  • Identifies potential flaws in the process
  • Maintains project momentum, even when things get tough

How to plan and run a Start Stop Continue retrospective meeting

  1. Schedule the meeting and create a board in QRetro with the Start Stop Continue template
  2. Brainstorm suggestions for each category
  3. Refine the list through voting and discussion
  4. Document the final decisions

Examples of the Start Stop Continue method

  • Start: Clean up the backlog, improve communication between team members
  • Stop: Adding too many stories to the sprint, beginning daily stand-ups late
  • Continue: Team-building and work outings, meeting shared goals

Get started with a free template

QRetro.com provides a free Start Stop Continue template that can be exported in various formats for future reference. Teams can improve their performance by trying out the Start Stop Continue framework.


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