Why async input works
In a classic retro, half the meeting goes to writing sticky notes, and the first idea shared shapes everything after it. When everyone answers a day ahead, in their own time, you start the meeting with the full picture. Quiet team members get the same weight as the confident ones, and the hour is spent on what to change.
Questions that lead somewhere
- A Rating: “How did this sprint feel?” Track it over time.
- What went well that we should keep doing?
- What got in the way that we should change?
- One idea to try next sprint.
With conditional logic, ask “What would have helped?” only after a low rating. Happy weeks stay short.
Keep it honest
Leave out names and keep Show respondent names private. Browser session is enough for a team that trusts each other; use unique codes when it needs to be strict. Set Access to results to Only you if you want to read first and present a summary.
Run the meeting
- 1 Close the poll an hour before the retro.
- 2 Walk through the answers in present mode.
- 3 Group similar points and discuss the biggest themes.
- 4 Collect proposed actions, then let everyone rank them.
- 5 Commit to the top two, with an owner each.
Every sprint, without the setup
Choose Save as template, and next sprint the retro is under Templates when you start a new poll. Or keep one poll, export the answers as a CSV and reset it. Connect Slack to see responses in your team channel as they come in.
