Start, Stop, Continue

What is the Start, Stop, Continue retrospective?

Start, Stop, Continue is the most widely used retrospective format in Scrum teams, and probably the first one any new Scrum Master will run. The team answers three direct questions: what should we start doing, what should we stop doing, and what should we keep doing? No metaphors, no warm-up exercises, no emotional framing.

It became standard in agile teams during the early 2000s because it produces actions in 30 minutes. The columns map directly to behaviour change, which makes the retro easy to summarise in a follow-up message: "Here's what we agreed to start, stop, and continue this sprint."

When to use it

Run this format after a normal sprint when you want a quick, action-focused conversation. It works well at any team maturity level, and it's the right default if you're not sure which template to pick. Teams that meet weekly or bi-weekly tend to settle on this format and stay there.

When not to use it

Skip it after a difficult release or a period of conflict. The three-column structure pushes the team toward actions before they've had a chance to acknowledge how they feel about the work. In those moments, Mad, Sad, Glad gives the team room to surface emotions first. Skip it also for end-of-quarter or end-of-project retros. Try 4Ls or Sailboat for those.

Column prompts

• Start — Ask the team what's missing from the current way of working. New rituals, missing roles, gaps in tooling. Push for one concrete proposal per card, not a wishlist.
• Stop — Ask what's costing time or trust without paying off. Late-Friday merges, skipped reviews, side conversations that should be in the channel. Don't let cards stay vague. "Stop being disorganised" needs a follow-up question.
• Continue — Ask what's working that the team should protect. This column gets skipped a lot. Don't let it. Naming what works keeps it from being quietly dropped when priorities shift.

Facilitator tips

• Give people 5 minutes of silent writing before any discussion. Talking first lets the loudest voice anchor the room.
• Cluster duplicate cards together before voting. Three cards saying "standup is too long" should be one item.
• Vote on Start and Stop, not on Continue. The Continue column is acknowledgement, not prioritisation.
• Cap your action items at three. Teams that walk out with eight changes will land none of them.
• Assign an owner and a date to every Start and Stop item before you close the meeting. "The team will improve testing" is not an action.
• If the same card appears in Start and Stop across sprints, that's a signal the team is stuck. Pull it out and run a separate conversation.

Common mistakes

• Continue becomes a thank-you list. Keep it focused on team practices, not personal praise.
• Twenty cards generated, no owners assigned. Vote, prioritise, and assign before the meeting ends.
• Running this format after a bad release. The team needs to talk about what happened, not just what to do next.
• Last sprint's Start items get treated as "done" without checking. Start every retro by reviewing the previous sprint's actions.
• One person's frustration dominates the Stop column. Ask the rest of the team to vote so it reflects shared concerns, not individual venting.

FAQ