The Good - The Bad - The Ugly

A vivid three-part format that makes room for things the team can't simply fix. The good is what worked well, the bad is what went off plan, and the ugly is what lies outside the team's control but still deserves to be named out loud. That third column is what sets it apart, surfacing systemic issues that other formats tend to skip.

The Good

What went well or worked well

Roman

The migration finished a day early with no data loss

Maria

Review turnaround dropped to under four hours

The Bad

What didn't go as planned or problems that surfaced

Anna

The release needed two hotfixes in the same evening

Daria

We estimated four days for work that took two weeks

The Ugly

Things that the project team couldn't change but should allow folks to call out

Maria

The vendor outage took us down and we could do nothing

Kirill

Hiring freeze means the team stays at four for the quarter

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This retrospective technique is designed to give team members an opportunity to express their thoughts and feedback about the project. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly categories allow for a structured and balanced approach to assessing the project, as well as to identify areas for improvement.

The Good section is where team members can share what went well or worked well during the project. This can include successful strategies, efficient processes, or positive outcomes.

The Bad section focuses on the problems or issues that arose during the project. This can include missed deadlines, ineffective communication, or technical difficulties.

The Ugly section is a place where team members can call out any aspects of the project that were beyond the control of the team, but still had a significant impact on the project. This can include external factors such as changes in the market or unexpected events.

Facilitating a Good - Bad - Ugly retrospective allows the team to have an honest and open conversation about the project, and to collectively identify areas for improvement. This can help to strengthen the team's performance in future projects and to build a more effective and efficient work culture.

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Other formats teams pair with this one — open any of them as a board in one click.

Agile Kanban

A retrospective that borrows the familiar Kanban board to review the team's flow of work. Items move across to do, doing and done, making bottlenecks and stalled tasks easy to see. It's a natural fit for teams that already think in terms of flow and want their reflection to mirror how they actually work.

Six Thinking Hats

Based on Edward de Bono's method, this format has the team look at the sprint through six distinct mindsets. Each hat directs attention to one angle — facts, feelings, caution, optimism, creativity and process — so the discussion stays balanced and no perspective is missed. It's a powerful way to break out of habitual thinking and explore an issue from every side.

Post Mortem Retro

A reflective format for looking back on a finished project or major milestone. The team gathers what it liked, what it missed, what individuals learned and what to do differently next time, closing with appreciations. The wider lens makes it ideal for drawing lasting lessons rather than tweaking the last sprint.

Rose Bud Thorn

A gentle, well-balanced format that gives equal weight to the good, the painful and the promising. The rose marks what went well, the thorn what hurt or got in the way, and the bud what shows potential and is worth nurturing. Including the bud keeps the conversation forward-looking instead of dwelling only on the past.

Hopes and Fears

A forward-looking format best used at the start of a project, quarter or initiative. The team shares its hopes for what could go right alongside its fears about what might go wrong. Naming both early builds shared understanding and surfaces risks while there's still time to act on them.

Good Bad Better Best

A four-column format that turns reflection into a ladder of improvement. The team names what was good and what was bad, then pushes further to what could be better and recognizes the very best results, performances and people. Ending on the high note of best keeps the energy positive and celebrates standout contributions.

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