Kudos
Appreciate, Wish, Wonder retrospective template
Run an Appreciate, Wish, Wonder retrospective free online: gratitude, wishes and questions. No sign-up for participants.
Opens a new board with these columns, right in your browser.
What is the Appreciate, Wish, Wonder retrospective?
Appreciate, Wish, Wonder starts with gratitude (I appreciate), then moves to improvements (I wish) and open questions (I wonder). Starting with appreciation sets a generous tone, which makes the wishes easier to hear and discuss.
The columns
- I appreciate
- I wish
- I wonder
When to use it
Use it when the team has been under pressure, after conflict, or when feedback has been mostly negative.
Facilitator tip: give the Appreciate round its own time box and reveal it before the others are written. Reading thank-yous aloud first changes the mood of the room, and people write more constructive wishes afterwards. Keep I wonder cards for questions nobody can answer yet; they make great spikes.
How to run it in Peel in 5 steps
- Create the board and share the link.
- Ask everyone to write at least one Appreciate card first.
- Reveal and read the Appreciations aloud.
- Group and vote on Wishes and Wonders.
- Discuss the top items and agree on actions.
Frequently asked questions
Why start with appreciation?
It reminds people what the team does well, which makes it easier to talk about what should change.
Is it suitable for cross-functional teams?
Yes. The sentence starters are easy to understand and work across roles.