Classic
4Ls (Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed for) retrospective template
Run a 4Ls retrospective free online: Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed for. Hidden cards, anonymous by default, no sign-up.
Opens a new board with these columns, right in your browser.
What is the 4Ls (Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed for) retrospective?
The 4Ls retrospective looks at a sprint or project through four lenses: what the team Liked, what it Learned, what it Lacked, and what it Longed for. Unlike formats that only split good from bad, it gives learning and aspiration their own space, so the retro captures knowledge as well as problems.
The columns
- Liked
- Learned
- Lacked
- Longed for
When to use it
Use 4Ls at the end of a project, a quarter or a long sprint where people learned a lot, or with teams that find Went well / To improve repetitive. Longed for is a good place for ideas that are bigger than the next sprint.
How to run it in Peel in 5 steps
- Create a 4Ls board in Peel and share the link; participants pick a name and an avatar and are in.
- Write silently for seven minutes. Encourage at least one card in Learned, which is the column most people skip.
- Reveal, then group similar cards. Lacked and Longed for often describe the same gap from two sides; merge them.
- Vote and discuss the top themes. Turn Learned cards into notes for the team wiki rather than actions.
- Agree on two or three actions, mostly from Lacked, and park the bigger Longed-for ideas for planning.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Lacked and Longed for?
Lacked is about something missing that hurt the work (a test environment, a decision). Longed for is a wish (a tool, a practice, more pairing). One is a gap, the other a direction.
How long does a 4Ls retro take?
About 45 to 60 minutes for a team of six to eight. Four columns produce more cards than three, so time-box the discussion.