Purpose

The Energy Line Retrospective asks each team member to draw a personal energy curve over the sprint, plotting moments of high and low energy. By overlaying individual curves, the team identifies shared energy drains and boosters, making it easier to address systemic issues that affect motivation and productivity.

At a glance

• Group size: 3–10 people
• Duration: 15 minutes
• Difficulty: Beginner
• Facilitation style: Semi-structured
• Setting: Both / Remote-friendly

How to run

1. Draw a timeline (x-axis: sprint days, y-axis: energy level from low to high).
2. Each participant draws their personal energy curve on the chart (3 minutes).
3. Compare curves: where do they align and where do they diverge? (5 minutes).
4. Discuss the biggest energy drains and energy boosters (4 minutes).
5. Choose one drain to address and one booster to amplify (3 minutes).

Materials needed

• Whiteboard or large paper with pre-drawn axes
• Different-coloured markers (one per person)
• Timer

Pitfalls & common mistakes

• Not labeling specific events on the timeline — the curve alone is ambiguous without context.
• Ignoring individual outliers — if one person had drastically different energy, explore why.
• Treating the exercise as purely diagnostic without committing to action.

Inclusion & accessibility

• Allow participants to annotate digitally if they cannot draw on a physical board.
• Emphasize that energy is personal and there is no right or wrong curve.
• Respect privacy: participants can choose not to explain specific low points.

Variations

• Mood Line: replace energy with mood/happiness.
• Confidence Line: plot confidence in delivery over the sprint.
• Team Energy Average: calculate and plot the team average alongside individual lines.

When NOT to use this

• When the sprint was too short (1–2 days) to have meaningful variation.
• When the team needs to focus on process or artifact quality rather than feelings.

Source & further reading

• Agile coaching practices inspired by energy management literature.
• Retromat (retromat.org).