Purpose

The Mad Sad Glad Retrospective focuses on the emotional dimension of teamwork. By sorting experiences into three feeling-based categories — Mad (frustrated), Sad (disappointed), and Glad (happy) — teams surface issues that pure process reviews miss. It builds psychological safety by normalizing the discussion of feelings at work.

At a glance

• Group size: 3–10 people
• Duration: 20 minutes
• Difficulty: Beginner
• Facilitation style: Semi-structured
• Setting: Both / Remote-friendly

How to run

1. Create three columns on a board: Mad, Sad, Glad.
2. Silent writing: each participant writes sticky notes describing moments that made them feel mad, sad, or glad (4 minutes).
3. Round-robin sharing: each person places notes and briefly explains (6 minutes).
4. Group similar notes and identify patterns (5 minutes).
5. Pick one or two actionable themes and agree on next steps (5 minutes).

Materials needed

• Whiteboard or digital board
• Sticky notes (three colours recommended)
• Markers
• Timer

Pitfalls & common mistakes

• Dismissing emotional input as not actionable — the purpose is to surface feelings first, actions second.
• Only getting Glad notes because the team feels unsafe sharing negatives; run an anonymous safety check beforehand.
• Spending all the time on Mad items and neglecting to celebrate Glad moments.

Inclusion & accessibility

• Use emoji labels alongside text for neurodiverse participants who respond to visual cues.
• Allow anonymous submissions so people can share sensitive feelings safely.
• Be mindful of cultural norms around expressing negative emotions publicly.

Variations

• Mad Sad Glad + Actions: add a fourth column for immediate action ideas.
• Emoji Scale: participants rate intensity of each feeling 1–5.
• Mood Graph: combine with a timeline to plot feelings over the sprint.

When NOT to use this

• When the team needs a structural or process-focused review — use Four Ls or Start Stop Continue instead.
• In a group where psychological safety is very low and people may feel coerced into sharing emotions.

Source & further reading

• Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great by Esther Derby and Diana Larsen.
• Retromat (retromat.org).