Retrospectives gives a team a shared board for understanding recent work and deciding what to change next. Use it after a sprint, release, event, or difficult project phase: gather observations first, discuss the patterns, then leave with a few concrete follow-ups.
A Simple Shape for Useful Reflection
Every board has three fixed columns:
Each column has a prompt, a card count, and Add Card. Start with one observation per card so people can respond to a specific point. Authors can later move their cards to another column from the card menu, making it possible to turn a problem into an action without copying it.
The column names and order stay the same across boards. There are no custom columns or drag controls for arranging cards within them.
Find or Create a Board
Choose a saved retrospective or select New in the area where it belongs.
Open Apps → Retros to browse boards and folders in the selected location. Choose New to start a board there, or use Documents → New → Retrospectives when you want it beside the files your team already uses. Opening a retrospective file takes you to its board.
Creating a board requires Retrospectives access, currently included with Coordinator, and access to its owning space area. The standalone editor also requires Coordinator: without it, you can browse and view accessible boards, but the workspace shows Read-only with Back to files and Buy Abo controls. A subscription does not grant membership in a private area.
A board starts with empty columns and a linked draft Article. It remains available in its original location after you leave. Follow Create and Open a Retrospective to choose its home, name it, and find it again.
Contribute Together
Add a card and type directly into it. Text changes synchronize while you work; there is no need to leave the field to send each revision. Only a card's author can edit its text or move it. Everyone else can read the contribution, add their own card, or react when their permissions allow it.
The participant capsule shows current viewers. Pointers and text selections help the group follow attention on cards; the capsule is not an attendance archive. On a larger screen the columns sit side by side, while on mobile they stack vertically in a scrollable board.
Card menus include movement and available undo/redo actions. They also provide synchronization and recovery actions when work needs attention. Before leaving an important session, check that changes have finished saving rather than assuming that visible text is already saved. Cards and Participation explains these controls.
Keep Context Beside the Board
Every retrospective has a linked Article and Comments. Use Article for the available background or summary and Comments for discussion that should stay with the board. On desktop, the retrospective tools open these panels beside the workspace.
Creating or using a board does not publish an Article or create a post. Publication remains a separate document decision. Keep short reflections on cards and put longer context in the linked content using its normal editing controls and permissions.
Use Retrospectives in a Meeting
Retrospectives opens from the shared meeting launcher while its board remains ordinary persistent workspace content.
An activity meeting can open an existing retrospective or create one through Live Apps. The meeting displays the same persistent board, so its cards remain available after the call. The host's surrounding controls let you switch layouts or return to the retrospective file explorer without treating the board as disposable meeting content.
Participants still need access to the board's area, and card authorship still governs editing. Creating a new board requires Retrospectives access. See Linked Context and Meetings for the distinction between the meeting view and the standalone workspace.
Finish the Conversation, Keep the Record
There is no formal finish or lock action. Agree on the next steps, confirm that the cards are saved, and leave through the surrounding navigation. The board remains editable when you return.
Action cards are plain feedback cards: names and dates in their wording do not assign work or set deadlines elsewhere. For ongoing tracking, create the corresponding work in Goals and refer back to the retrospective when useful.
Common Questions
Can we change the board format?
The three columns are fixed. Authors can move their cards between them through the card menu, but there is no drag ordering or custom-column editor.
Can someone else correct my card?
Only you can edit or move your card. Other participants can ask for a clarification in the conversation or add their own contribution.
Are reactions votes?
They are acknowledgments. Retrospectives has no formal voting phase, ranking, or automatic selection of action items.
Can I undo a mistake?
Yes, when an undo action is available for your card. Use its menu or the editing shortcut. The separate History panel does not currently provide a browsable board history.
Does leaving end the retrospective?
No. Its saved cards remain available, and leaving does not publish, lock, or delete the board.