Mad Sad Glad Retrospective

Mad Sad Glad Retrospective

Emotions play a pivotal role in team dynamics and performance. The Mad Sad Glad retrospective taps into these emotions, offering a clear and concise platform for team members to express their feelings. By focusing on the emotional aspects, this format ensures that underlying issues, often overlooked in more task-oriented retrospectives, come to the forefront.

When to Choose Mad Sad Glad

Opt for Mad Sad Glad when you sense the need to address the emotional well-being of the team. It's especially effective after particularly challenging sprints or projects, ensuring that team members feel heard and understood. If you're looking to foster empathy, understanding, and a deeper connection among team members, this format is a top choice.

😱 Mad

What infuriates you or prevents you from doing your work?

This column is about venting frustrations. Whether it's a recurring obstacle, a process that's not working, or any other hindrance, it's a space to lay it all out and discuss potential solutions.

😭 Sad

What upsets you or do you feel we could be doing better?

Sadness often stems from missed opportunities or potential that's not fully realized. Here, team members can discuss what they feel is lacking or areas where the team could step up its game.

😄 Glad

What delights you that makes you feel we're doing a great job?

Every cloud has a silver lining. This section is all about celebrating the wins, no matter how big or small. It's a chance to acknowledge what's going right and to appreciate the efforts behind those successes.

🌟 Shout outs

Who have you found super friendly or helpful?

A little recognition goes a long way. This column is dedicated to celebrating team members who've made a positive impact, whether through their work, attitude, or by lending a helping hand when needed.

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The Mad Sad Glad retrospective is a reminder that behind every task and project, there are human emotions at play. By addressing these emotions head-on, teams can build stronger bonds, address underlying issues, and pave the way for a more harmonious and productive work environment.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Mad Sad Glad retrospective template?

The Mad Sad Glad retrospective template is an emotion-focused format that helps teams express feelings about their work through three sentiment categories (Mad, Sad, Glad) plus Shout outs for recognition. Unlike task-oriented formats, Mad Sad Glad prioritizes team morale and psychological safety by acknowledging that emotions drive performance. This format is particularly effective for surfacing underlying issues that might be hidden in more clinical retrospective approaches.

When should you use the Mad Sad Glad retrospective template?

Use Mad Sad Glad after particularly challenging sprints, during periods of team stress or conflict, when you sense low morale or burnout, or when technical retrospectives aren't surfacing the real issues. This format excels at addressing team dynamics, interpersonal challenges, and emotional well-being. If your team needs to feel heard and validated before they can focus on process improvements, Mad Sad Glad creates that safe space.

How do you run a Mad Sad Glad retrospective meeting effectively?

To run an effective Mad Sad Glad retrospective, follow these steps:

• Set the stage - Use a mood check-in to gauge team sentiment, then emphasize that all feelings are valid for psychological safety
• Brainstorm - Give 10 minutes for individual brainstorming with icebreaker music. Team members add items to Mad, Sad, Glad, and Shout outs columns anonymously to encourage honest emotional expression
• Group and sort - Group and sort similar items together
• Discuss - Review items and validate emotions before moving to solutions. Say "I hear that this situation made you mad" before "What can we do about it?"
• Create action items - For key emotional patterns, assign owners to address underlying issues
• Share summary - Export and share the retro summary with the team

The session takes 45-60 minutes with emphasis on empathy over action items.

What makes a good Mad Sad Glad retrospective discussion?

Good Mad Sad Glad discussions prioritize emotional expression over problem-solving:

• Mad - Allow venting but guide toward constructive framing
• Sad - Acknowledge disappointment and missed opportunities
• Glad - Celebrate genuinely and specifically
• Shout outs - Recognize people by name with concrete examples

The facilitator's role is to validate emotions, draw connections between feelings and underlying issues, and only then explore solutions. Remember that sometimes teams just need to be heard, not fixed.

How is Mad Sad Glad different from other retrospective formats?

Mad Sad Glad is unique in putting emotions first rather than tasks or processes. While DAKI focuses on decisions and Four Ls on learning, Mad Sad Glad acknowledges that team performance is fundamentally human. The emotional framing makes it safer to discuss sensitive topics - it's easier to say "I'm mad about overtime" than "our sprint planning is broken." This format builds empathy and team cohesion in ways that more analytical retrospectives cannot.

What are the benefits of using the Mad Sad Glad retrospective template?

Mad Sad Glad offers key benefits:

• Improved psychological safety - Emotions are explicitly welcomed
• Better issue surfacing - Feelings reveal root causes
• Stronger team bonds - Sharing vulnerabilities builds trust
• Early warning system - Emotional patterns predict problems

This template is particularly valuable for preventing burnout, resolving interpersonal conflicts, and maintaining team health during high-stress periods. The Shout outs column ensures positivity balances the challenging discussions.

What are some alternatives to the Mad Sad Glad retrospective template?

If you're looking for different retrospective formats and templates, consider these alternatives:

• Wish & Wonder retrospective - When you want positive, aspirational framing instead of direct emotional labeling ("I wish" vs "I'm mad")
• Four Ls retrospective - When you need to blend emotional reflection with learning capture and future aspirations
• Sailboat retrospective - When metaphorical distance helps teams discuss emotions more comfortably than direct labeling
• DAKI retrospective - When the team has processed emotions and is ready for concrete action decisions

Mad Sad Glad remains the best choice when emotions themselves are the primary focus.