A retrospective is most effective when it starts with a shared understanding of purpose. Without that clarity, it’s hard to know what data matters and how to interpret it.
Too many year-end retrospectives suffer from recency and peak-end biases, causing them to devolve into superficial reviews or Q4 gripe sessions. In this episode, we share a structured approach to help teams and organizations overcome those biases and conduct meaningful reflection sessions that drive real improvement.
Learn how to:
- Start with purpose to ground your retrospective
- Use the ORID framework (Observation, Reflection, Interpretation, Decision) to guide meaningful discussion
- Create timelines that capture the full year’s experience
- Scale the approach for different team sizes and contexts
Whether you’re planning an individual reflection, team retrospective, or organization-wide review, this episode provides practical tools to make your year-end reflection more valuable.
Additional Resources
If you’re planning a year-end retrospective for your team or organization, we’d love to help. Check out episode 153 Behind the Scenes of a 50-Person Remote Retro where we have a specific example of a group we recently helped.
- Contact us for facilitation support with your year-end retrospective
- Learn more in our online course, Facilitating Effective Retrospectives (also available as part of our Everything Bundle—six of our most popular courses at a discounted price)
Last updated