A team can see the same sprint from very different angles. I Like gathers the moments worth keeping, I Wish makes room for unmet needs, and What If invites ideas that are still rough enough to test. The result is a balanced conversation with a clear path from experience to action.
Use the prompts to keep cards specific. The examples show the level of detail that makes discussion and voting useful.
Which moment, decision, or team practice helped during the period under review and deserves to continue?
Which condition, support, or working habit do you wish had been different?
Which small experiment or question could move the team toward a wish during the next sprint?
A complete path from framing the room to assigning one concrete follow-up.
Name the sprint, release, or project stage under review. Explain that I Like covers observed strengths, I Wish names a desired change, and What If holds possible experiments.
Give everyone seven quiet minutes to add cards across all three columns. Ask for one specific moment, need, or idea on each card.
Read the cards one column at a time. Let each author add brief context, and hold the longer solution discussion until the team has seen the full board.
Group cards that describe the same theme. Look for a useful practice in I Like that could support a wish or a What If experiment.
Vote for the themes that would make the biggest difference during the next period of work. Discuss the evidence behind the leading wish and the smallest useful experiment.
Turn one What If card into an action with an owner, a review date, and a signal the team can observe. Name one I Like practice to protect while the experiment runs.
Use the first two prompts for a short review when the team already has a separate action-planning step.
Review one feature or customer journey. Put evidence under I Like, unmet needs under I Wish, and test ideas under What If.
Collect cards before the meeting and reveal them together. Use the live session for grouping, voting, and shaping one experiment.
Before the retro
It is a three-prompt retrospective that separates useful parts of recent work, desired changes, and possible experiments. The team reviews evidence first and then chooses one idea to test.
Add a question or small experiment that could move the team toward a wish. A strong card is specific enough to try, assign, and review after one sprint.
Yes. The two-column version works for a short feedback session or when action planning happens elsewhere. Add What If when the team needs space to generate and compare possible responses.
Plan for 35 to 45 minutes with three to twelve people. Collecting cards before the meeting can leave more time for discussion and choosing an experiment.
Ask which event or missing condition led to the wish. Then rewrite the card around something the team observed and can influence, such as unclear ownership or late acceptance criteria.
Open the three ready-made columns, collect specific observations, choose one wish, and shape one experiment the team can review next time.
