The Starfish retrospective has five arms: start doing, more of, keep doing, less of and stop doing. The middle arms let the team say a practice is good, just in the wrong dose.
It works best for mature teams that have already fixed the obvious and need to calibrate how they work.
When to use it
- Teams that hold retros often and have few big problems.
- When several practices are good but overdone or underused.
The columns and their questions
What don't we do yet that we should start?
What do we already do that we should do more?
What is working at just the right level?
What do we do that we should scale back?
What adds no value and should we stop?
Step by step (60 minutes)
- Set the stage 5 min
Explain the difference between More Of/Less Of and Start Doing/Stop Doing.
- Silent writing 12 min
Notes on all five arms, without seeing anyone else's.
- Group and vote 15 min
Cluster similar ideas and vote on the changes with the biggest impact.
- Discuss 20 min
Discuss the top-voted items, starting with the extremes (Start Doing and Stop Doing).
- Action items 8 min
Agree on up to three adjustments, each with an owner and a due date.
Facilitation tips
- If the team is new to retros, start with Start, Stop, Continue and move to the Starfish later.
Frequently asked questions
How is it different from Start, Stop, Continue?
The Starfish adds More Of and Less Of, so the team can adjust how much of an existing practice it does.