Start Stop Continue Retrospective: Complete Guide + Template

The Start Stop Continue retrospective is the most popular retrospective format in agile teams—and for good reason. It’s simple to understand, easy to facilitate, and produces clear, actionable outcomes. If you’re new to retrospectives or want a reliable format that works every time, Start Stop Continue is your best choice.

In this guide, you’ll learn exactly how to run this format, including a ready-to-use template and tips for getting the best results from your team.

What Is the Start Stop Continue Retrospective?

The Start Stop Continue retrospective is a structured reflection exercise that organizes team feedback into three action-oriented categories:

Start: Things the team should begin doing
Stop: Things the team should stop doing
Continue: Things that are working and should persist

This simple framework ensures every piece of feedback has a clear direction—making it easy to convert insights into action items.

Why It Works

The format’s power comes from its simplicity:

Easy to understand - No explanation needed, anyone can participate immediately
Action-oriented - Every item naturally suggests what to do next
Balanced - Captures positives (Continue) and areas for change (Start/Stop)
Time-efficient - Can run in as little as 30 minutes

When to Use Start Stop Continue

This format is ideal for:

Situation	Why It Works
New teams	Simple format, low barrier to entry
First retrospectives	Easy to facilitate and participate
Short time available	Can complete in 30-45 minutes
Need clear actions	Every item maps to an action
Remote teams	Works well in digital tools
Regular cadence	Reliable format for every sprint

When to Consider Other Formats

After difficult sprints - Try Mad Sad Glad for emotional processing
Need deeper analysis - Try 5 Whys or Fishbone diagrams
Team seems bored - Rotate to visual formats like Sailboat
Long-term planning - Try a Futurespective

The Three Categories Explained

Start: What Should We Begin Doing?

The “Start” column captures new practices, processes, or behaviors the team wants to introduce.

Good Start items are:

Specific and actionable
Within the team’s control
Addressing a real gap or need

Examples:

Start writing documentation for new APIs
Start having daily async standups
Start pair programming on complex features
Start running automated tests before merging
Start celebrating sprint wins as a team

Prompt questions:

What’s missing from our current process?
What have other teams done successfully that we could try?
What would help us work more effectively?

Stop: What Should We Stop Doing?

The “Stop” column identifies practices that aren’t working and should be eliminated.

Good Stop items are:

Specific behaviors or practices (not people)
Actually stoppable (within team control)
Causing measurable harm or waste

Examples:

Stop scheduling meetings during focus time blocks
Stop skipping code reviews for “small” changes
Stop working on unplanned tasks without discussion
Stop using Slack for complex technical discussions
Stop deploying on Friday afternoons

Prompt questions:

What’s slowing us down?
What frustrates the team regularly?
What are we doing out of habit that doesn’t add value?

Continue: What’s Working Well?

The “Continue” column acknowledges practices that are working and should persist.

Why Continue matters:

Reinforces positive behaviors
Prevents accidental removal of good practices
Balances the retrospective (not just problems)
Boosts team morale

Examples:

Continue daily standups at 9:30 AM
Continue the Friday knowledge sharing sessions
Continue using feature flags for releases
Continue the clear sprint goal practice
Continue the blameless incident reviews

Prompt questions:

What went well this sprint?
What should we make sure we keep doing?
What would we miss if we stopped doing it?

How to Run a Start Stop Continue Retrospective

Before the Meeting

Preparation checklist:

Schedule 30-60 minutes
Choose a collaboration tool (whiteboard, RetroFlow, Miro)
Prepare the three-column template
Send calendar invite with context
Review action items from last retrospective

Step-by-Step Facilitation

Step 1: Set the Stage (5 minutes)

Welcome the team and set expectations:

“We’re here to reflect on our sprint and find ways to improve. Remember, we’re focusing on processes and practices, not individuals. Everything shared here stays confidential.”

Optional: Read the Retrospective Prime Directive or run a quick icebreaker.

Step 2: Silent Brainstorming (10 minutes)

Have everyone independently write sticky notes for each category:

Minimum 1 item per category
One idea per sticky note
No discussion yet—just writing

Why silent first? Prevents groupthink and ensures quieter team members contribute.

💡 Pro tip: RetroFlow lets everyone add items simultaneously and anonymously—completely free, no signup required.

Go around the room (or virtual space) and have each person share their items:

Read the item aloud
Brief clarification if needed (no debate yet)
Place on the board in the appropriate column
Group similar items together

Facilitator tips:

Keep it moving—30 seconds per item max
Note duplicates and themes
Save discussion for the next phase

Step 4: Discuss and Vote (15 minutes)

Now dive deeper into the items:

Dot voting: Give each person 3-5 votes to place on the most important items
Focus on top items: Discuss the highest-voted items first
Understand root causes: Ask “why is this important?” or “what’s driving this?”

Discussion prompts:

“Can someone share a specific example?”
“What would change if we did this?”
“What’s blocking us from stopping this?”

Step 5: Create Action Items (10 minutes)

Convert top-voted items into concrete actions:

Good action items are SMART:

Specific: Clear what needs to happen
Measurable: Know when it’s done
Assignable: Someone owns it
Realistic: Achievable in next sprint
Time-bound: Has a deadline

Example transformation:

Discussion Item	Action Item
”Start writing tests"	"Sarah will add unit tests to the auth module by Wednesday"
"Stop Friday deploys"	"Update deployment policy doc; announce to team by EOD Monday"
"Continue pair programming"	"Schedule 2 pair programming sessions next sprint; John to coordinate”

Critical: Limit to 1-3 action items. More than that rarely get completed.

Step 6: Close (5 minutes)

Wrap up the retrospective:

Summarize the action items and owners
Thank participants for their input
Optional: Quick ROTI (Return on Time Invested) - “Was this retro valuable? Thumbs up/down/sideways”
Remind the team when action items will be reviewed

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Start Stop Continue retrospective?

A Start Stop Continue retrospective is a simple three-column format where team members identify things to start doing, stop doing, and continue doing. It is one of the most popular retrospective formats because it is easy to understand and produces clear, actionable outcomes.

How long does a Start Stop Continue retrospective take?

Most Start Stop Continue retrospectives take 30-60 minutes depending on team size. For a team of 5-8 people, plan for 45 minutes: 5 minutes for setup, 10 for silent writing, 15 for grouping and discussion, and 15 for action items.

When should you use Start Stop Continue?

Use Start Stop Continue when you want a straightforward format that any team can follow — especially for teams new to retrospectives or when you need clear, actionable output. It works well for regular sprint retros and is easy to facilitate.

What is the difference between Start Stop Continue and Keep Drop Try?

Both formats use three categories, but the framing differs. Start Stop Continue focuses on behaviors to begin, end, or maintain. Keep Drop Try replaces “Start” with “Try” to emphasize experimentation, which can feel less prescriptive and encourage more creative ideas.

Start Stop Continue Template

Use this template for your retrospective:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                     START STOP CONTINUE                              │
├─────────────────────┬─────────────────────┬─────────────────────────┤
│        START        │        STOP         │       CONTINUE          │
│   What should we    │   What should we    │    What's working       │
│    begin doing?     │    stop doing?      │       well?             │
│                     │                     │                         │
│                     │                     │                         │
│                     │                     │                         │
│                     │                     │                         │
│                     │                     │                         │
│                     │                     │                         │
│                     │                     │                         │
└─────────────────────┴─────────────────────┴─────────────────────────┘

ACTION ITEMS:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Action               │  Owner    │  Due Date                       │
├───────────────────────┼───────────┼─────────────────────────────────┤
│                       │           │                                 │
│                       │           │                                 │
│                       │           │                                 │
└───────────────────────┴───────────┴─────────────────────────────────┘

Sample Questions for Each Category

Start Questions

What could we do to improve our velocity?
What practices have you seen work well on other teams?
What’s one thing that would make your work easier?
What tools or processes are we missing?
How could we improve our communication?
What would help us ship with more confidence?

Stop Questions

What’s the biggest waste of time in our process?
What meetings don’t add value?
What causes unnecessary rework?
What’s frustrating about our current workflow?
What do we do out of habit that doesn’t help?
What’s blocking us from doing our best work?

Continue Questions

What went really well this sprint?
What practices should we protect?
What would we miss if we stopped doing it?
What helps you do your best work?
What makes our team effective?
What should we tell new team members to keep doing?

See our complete list of sprint retrospective questions.

Running this format remotely? Check our guide to remote retrospectives for virtual facilitation tips.

Tips for Facilitating Start Stop Continue

Do’s

Keep it safe - Emphasize no blame, focus on processes
Be specific - Push for concrete examples, not vague complaints
Follow up - Review previous action items at each retro
Vary the facilitation - Rotate facilitators to keep it fresh
Time-box strictly - Respect everyone’s time

Don’ts

Don’t skip Continue - Celebrating wins builds morale
Don’t allow personal attacks - Redirect to process discussions
Don’t create too many actions - 1-3 is optimal
Don’t let one person dominate - Ensure all voices are heard
Don’t forget remote participants - Check they can contribute equally

For Remote Teams

Use a collaborative tool everyone can access
Enable anonymous input for honest feedback
Use video when possible for connection
Give extra time for async input if needed
Read items aloud for those with poor connections

Common Problems and Solutions

”The same items come up every time”

Problem: Previous action items weren’t completed.

Solution:

Start each retro by reviewing last sprint’s actions
Make actions specific with owners and deadlines
Limit to 1-3 actions that are actually achievable
Address systemic blockers that prevent completion

”People aren’t speaking up”

Problem: Psychological safety issues or dominant personalities.

Solution:

Use anonymous input during brainstorming
Start with written brainstorming before discussion
Explicitly invite quieter members: “Alex, what’s your take?”
Consider smaller breakout groups first

”We only get complaints, nothing positive”

Problem: Team morale issues or format fatigue.

Solution:

Require at least one Continue item from everyone
Start with Continue to set positive tone
Celebrate wins explicitly before moving to problems
Check in on team morale outside retrospectives

”Items are too vague to act on”

Problem: “Improve communication” instead of specific issues.

Solution:

Ask for specific examples: “What’s a recent example?”
Use the “5 Whys” to dig deeper
Rephrase vague items: “When communication failed, what happened?”
Reject vague action items—be concrete

Variations on Start Stop Continue

Start Stop Continue Keep

Adds a fourth category to distinguish between:

Continue: Things working well, no change needed
Keep: Things working, but need reinforcement/protection

Start More Less Stop

Replaces Continue with gradations:

Start: Begin doing
More: Do more of this
Less: Do less of this
Stop: Eliminate entirely

This is similar to the Starfish retrospective.

Plus Delta

Simplified to two categories:

Plus (+): What worked well
Delta (Δ): What to change

See our Plus Delta guide.

If you’ve mastered Start Stop Continue, try these related formats:

4Ls Retrospective - Adds emotional dimension (Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed For)
Starfish Retrospective - Five categories for nuanced action planning
DAKI Retrospective - Drop, Add, Keep, Improve
Mad Sad Glad - Emotional focus for processing difficult sprints

See all 30+ options in our complete retrospective formats guide.

Get Started

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Summary

The Start Stop Continue retrospective is a simple, effective format that works for any team:

Start: What new practices should we adopt?
Stop: What isn’t working and should end?
Continue: What’s working well and should persist?

Follow the facilitation steps, keep it focused on processes (not people), and most importantly—follow through on your action items.

Keep Exploring

What is a Sprint Retrospective? - Complete beginner’s guide
Sprint Retrospective Questions - 100+ questions to ask
How to Facilitate a Retrospective - Facilitation tips
Retrospective Anti-Patterns - Common mistakes to avoid

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