Rose · Bud · Thorn Retrospective Template
Rose · Bud · Thorn — highlight, opportunity, pain. Free to run online — live board, anonymous-friendly cards, dot-voting, timers, and action items that follow your team sprint to sprint.
🌹 Rose (highlight)
🌱 Bud (opportunity)
🥀 Thorn (pain point)
Three simple prompts anyone can answer in a minute: a rose that bloomed, a bud worth growing, a thorn that hurt. The 'Bud' column is quietly powerful — it asks for opportunities, not just complaints.
Best for: New teams, workshops, and any group meeting retro-skeptics for the first time.
How to run it
- Open a board and share the invite link — teammates join free with Google or a one-time email code.
- Add cards to each column (5–10 minutes, timer built in), then dot-vote what matters most.
- Discuss the top votes and commit action items with owners.
- Next retro, the actions come back automatically — done, carry, or drop. That loop is the point.
No card required · unlimited boards on the free plan