Purpose

The Zombie Scrum Retrospective helps teams diagnose whether they are going through the motions of Scrum without getting the benefits — a condition called Zombie Scrum. Teams assess symptoms like lack of stakeholder feedback, no sense of urgency, low product ownership engagement, and sprints that feel like assembly-line work. It is a wake-up call for teams stuck in a rut.

At a glance

• Group size: 4–12 people
• Duration: 25 minutes
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Facilitation style: Structured
• Setting: Both / Remote-friendly

How to run

1. Present the Zombie Scrum symptoms checklist: no stakeholder contact, unclear sprint goals, retrospective actions that never happen, no excitement about the product, feeling like Scrum is just a process.
2. Each participant silently rates each symptom: present (zombie), partially present (stumbling), absent (alive) (5 minutes).
3. Aggregate and display the team's zombie profile (3 minutes).
4. Discuss the top zombie symptoms: what is causing them and what would it take to come alive? (10 minutes).
5. Pick 1–2 revival actions with owners (7 minutes).

Materials needed

• Pre-printed Zombie Scrum symptom cards or checklist
• Whiteboard
• Dot stickers (green = alive, yellow = stumbling, red = zombie)
• Timer

Pitfalls & common mistakes

• The exercise becoming cynical or hopeless — frame it as a diagnostic, not a judgment.
• Blaming management for all zombie symptoms without exploring team agency.
• Not following through on revival actions.

Inclusion & accessibility

• The zombie metaphor is engaging but explain it for participants unfamiliar with the concept.
• Use anonymous voting for honest symptom assessment.
• Balance the conversation between what the team controls and what requires organizational change.

Variations

• Zombie Cure: for each zombie symptom, brainstorm a specific cure.
• Before/After Zombie: compare this sprint's zombie score with a previous one.
• Zombie vs. Alive Wall: create two columns and sort practices into zombie or alive.

When NOT to use this

• When the team is genuinely thriving and the format might feel patronizing.
• When the problems are interpersonal rather than process-related.

Source & further reading

• Christiaan Verwijs, Barry Overeem, and Johannes Schartau, The Zombie Scrum Survival Guide.
• Retromat (retromat.org).