The Starfish Diagram: A Simple Tool for Agile Retrospective Meetings

Agile retrospective meetings are a critical component of any Agile methodology. These meetings are an opportunity for teams to reflect on their recent performance, identify areas for improvement, and develop action plans for the future. While there are many tools and techniques that can be used in retrospective meetings, one of the most popular is the Starfish Diagram.

The Starfish Diagram is a simple yet powerful tool that can help teams structure their discussions and identify key issues. The diagram consists of five points, each representing a different aspect of the retrospective process:

  1. Keep Doing: This point represents the things that the team has been doing well and should continue to do in the future.

  2. Start Doing: This point represents the new practices or behaviors that the team should start doing in order to improve their performance.

  3. Stop Doing: This point represents the practices or behaviors that the team should stop doing in order to improve their performance.

  4. Less of: This point represents the practices or behaviors that the team should do less of in order to improve their performance.

  5. More of: This point represents the practices or behaviors that the team should do more of in order to improve their performance.


Using the Starfish Diagram in a retrospective meeting is simple. The team can start by brainstorming ideas for each of the five points, either individually or as a group. Once all of the ideas have been collected, the team can discuss them and prioritize the most important ones. From there, the team can develop action plans to address the issues identified in the meeting.




One of the key benefits of the Starfish Diagram is that it encourages a balanced approach to retrospective meetings. By focusing on what the team is doing well and should continue doing, as well as what they need to improve, the team can maintain a positive and constructive attitude towards the retrospective process. Additionally, by identifying specific actions for improvement, the team can develop a clear roadmap for moving forward.


Another benefit of the Starfish Diagram is that it is flexible and adaptable to different team dynamics and situations. Teams can use it to reflect on a single project, multiple projects, or even their overall team performance. The diagram can be used in small or large groups, and can be completed in a short amount of time.


Location: San Francisco, CA, USA

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