Sailboat Retrospective Template
Look back on a sprint or project with a simple picture: what drives the team forward, what holds it back and which risks lie ahead. The metaphor makes it easy for everyone to join in.
Free to start · Swiss-made · GDPR compliant
From island to actions in a Sailboat retrospective
The Collaboard template shows a sailboat between wind, anchor, rock and island. Each area has its own deck of notes in a matching color: light blue for wind, grey for anchor, orange for rock and green for island. The team places its notes next to the picture, so the board reads like a map of where the team stands.
Start with the island
Agree on the goal first and write it next to the island, so every note relates to the same destination.
Collect wind and anchors
Everyone takes notes from the decks and adds what pushes the team forward and what holds it back.
Look ahead to the rocks
Add the risks you see coming. This look ahead is what sets the Sailboat apart from other retrospectives.
Discuss and cluster
Go through each area together and group similar notes.
Pick the biggest anchor
Vote on the anchors and rocks and choose one or two to tackle first.
Agree on actions
Turn them into concrete actions with an owner, and check the board again in the next retrospective.
What is a Sailboat Retrospective?
The Sailboat Retrospective is a visual retrospective format. The team is a boat sailing toward an island, its goal. Wind pushes it forward, an anchor holds it back and rocks mark the risks on the way. Because the questions are framed around a shared goal, the format works well when a team needs to look forward, not only back.
The four areas of the template
- Island: What are we working towards? The goal or vision of the team. Example: launching the new customer portal by the end of the quarter.
- Wind: What is pushing us forward? Strengths, support and things that went well. Example: fast feedback from the pilot customers.
- Anchor: What is holding us back? Obstacles, dependencies and recurring problems. Example: waiting days for a test environment.
- Rock: What obstacles do we see? Risks ahead that could put the goal at risk. Example: a key developer leaving next month.
If the team mainly wants to look back on how it worked together, Start Stop Continue is quicker and more action-focused.
When the Sailboat format fits your team
- Milestone reviews Check halfway through a project whether the team is still on course.
- Project kickoffs Name the goal, the drivers and the expected risks before work starts.
- Sprint retros with a goal Link the retrospective to the sprint goal or the product goal.
- New teams The picture makes it easy for everyone to join in, even without retro experience.
Telling anchors and rocks apart
- Make the island concrete Being successful is not an island. Going live with 50 pilot users in March is.
- Don't confuse anchors and rocks Anchors slow you down today, rocks are risks ahead. Mixing them up blurs the discussion.
- Don't skip the wind Strengths are easy to forget when problems dominate. They show what the team can build on.
- Keep the board Reuse the same board in the next retro and check whether anchors have been lifted.
Why Collaboard
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Choose hosting in Switzerland, Germany or the EU, fully GDPR compliant. Or run Collaboard on your own servers.
Invite anyone with a link
Guests join your board for free, right in the browser. Nothing to install, no extra licenses for participants.
Made in Switzerland, with real support
Collaboard is developed in Switzerland. When you need help, you talk to people who know the product.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Sailboat Retrospective template free?
Yes, the Sailboat Retrospective template is free to use with a Collaboard account. The free plan includes up to 3 boards and five people per session.
What do the parts of the Sailboat Retrospective mean?
In the Sailboat Retrospective, the island is the team's goal, the wind stands for what pushes the team forward, the anchor for what holds it back and the rocks for the risks ahead.
When should I use the Sailboat Retrospective?
The Sailboat Retrospective works best when a team has a clear goal, for example at a project milestone, before a release or at the start of a new phase.
How is the Sailboat Retrospective different from Start Stop Continue?
Start Stop Continue focuses on what the team does. The Sailboat Retrospective looks at drivers, obstacles and risks around a shared goal, so it adds a forward-looking perspective.
Can a remote team run a Sailboat Retrospective?
Yes, a remote team can run a Sailboat Retrospective in Collaboard. Everyone adds notes to the same board in real time, and the picture keeps the discussion visual even online.
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