The phases of a retrospective

Every retro board in Retrospective Lab moves through the same four phases. As the facilitator, you control which phase is open — your team always works together in the same phase, in realtime.

The four phases

1. Collect — participants write cards in the columns of the chosen template. See Adding and grouping cards.
2. Group — similar cards get merged together, so duplicate input isn't discussed separately.
3. Vote — everyone spreads a limited number of votes across the cards that deserve the most attention. See Voting.
4. Actions — the highest-voted topics get turned into concrete action items with an owner. See Action items and success criteria.

The facilitator drives, the team follows

Only you, the facilitator, switch between phases. As soon as you open a new phase, everyone sees it instantly — there's no separate "next" button for participants. That keeps the session structured and prevents people from voting while others are still adding cards.

Everything happens live

The board works in realtime: cards, votes and action items appear for everyone at the same time, without refreshing. That makes a retro feel just as smooth as a physical room with sticky notes — just digital, with everyone seeing the same thing, even remotely.

New to facilitating? Start with starting your first retro.