Retrospective Board
Run effective team retrospectives with drag-and-drop cards, voting, timeboxing, and multiple formats. All data stays in your browser.
How It Works
- Choose a template or start with the default 3-column board
- Add cards to each column during your retrospective
- Use the timer to timebox each phase of discussion
- Vote on cards to prioritize the most important topics
- Drag cards between columns to reorganize
- Export your board as Markdown, JSON, or plain text
Features
- 4 retro templates: Standard, Starfish, 4Ls, Sailboat
- Drag-and-drop cards between columns
- Vote on items to surface priorities
- Built-in discussion timer with presets
- Auto-saves to localStorage
- Export as Markdown, JSON, or clipboard text
- Edit and delete cards inline
- Fully responsive on mobile
What is the Online Retrospective Board?
This free online retrospective board helps teams run structured sprint retrospectives directly in the browser, with no sign-up or installation required. You get a drag-and-drop card board with voting, a built-in discussion timer, four popular retro templates, and one-click export to Markdown, JSON, or plain text. All your data stays in your browser via localStorage, so nothing is uploaded to any server.
Retrospectives are a core agile ceremony where teams reflect on what went well, what needs improvement, and what actions to take next. This tool removes the friction of setting one up: open the page, pick a template, and start adding cards. It works for co-located teams projecting on a screen, remote teams sharing a tab, or solo developers reviewing their own sprint.
How to Use This Tool
Follow these steps to run a retrospective with this free online retro board:
- Pick a template - Click "Templates" to choose from Standard (3 columns), Starfish (5 columns), 4Ls, or Sailboat. Or start with the default Went Well / To Improve / Action Items layout.
- Add cards - Type your thought into the input field at the bottom of any column and press Enter or click the + button. Each card supports up to 280 characters.
- Discuss and vote - Start the built-in timer (5, 10, 15, or 20 minute presets) to timebox discussion. Click the star on any card to vote it up, helping the team prioritize the most important topics.
- Organize and drag - Drag cards between columns to recategorize them as the conversation evolves. Edit any card inline by clicking the pencil icon.
- Export results - Click "Export" and choose Markdown, JSON, or plain text. The file downloads instantly with vote counts preserved, ready to paste into your team wiki or ticket tracker.
Key Features
- Four retro templates - Standard (Went Well / To Improve / Actions), Starfish (Keep / More / Less / Start / Stop), 4Ls (Liked / Learned / Lacked / Longed For), and Sailboat (Wind / Anchor / Rocks / Island) cover the most popular retrospective formats.
- Drag-and-drop cards - Move cards freely between any columns with smooth drag-and-drop. Visual feedback highlights the target column as you drag.
- Built-in discussion timer - Timebox each retro phase with preset durations of 5, 10, 15, or 20 minutes. The timer glows cyan while active and switches to red in the final 30 seconds.
- Card voting - Each card has a vote button so team members can surface the highest-priority items. Cards display their vote count, and exported results include votes for easy prioritization.
- Multi-format export - Download your retro as Markdown (sorted by votes), structured JSON, or plain text. Results are ready to paste into Confluence, Notion, Jira, or any wiki.
- Persistent local storage - Your board auto-saves to the browser. Close the tab, come back later, and your cards and timer settings are still there. No account needed.
Common Use Cases
Scrum masters and agile coaches use this board to facilitate sprint retrospectives without paying for tools like EasyRetro or Retrium. Engineering teams doing remote standups can share the browser tab and let everyone add cards simultaneously. Project managers running post-mortems after incidents find the Sailboat template especially useful for mapping forces, blockers, risks, and goals. Individual developers doing personal retrospectives at the end of a week can track what they learned and what habits to change, then export the results to their notes. Educators and workshop facilitators use the 4Ls template to gather structured feedback from participants after training sessions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this retrospective board really free with no sign-up?
Yes, completely free. There is no account creation, no email required, and no usage limits. The tool runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript and localStorage. Your retro data never leaves your machine.
Can multiple team members use the board at the same time?
The board works in a single browser tab, so for real-time multi-user collaboration you would share your screen or project the tab during the retro meeting. Each person can take turns adding cards, or one facilitator can type while others call out items. For async retros, each team member can use their own board and export results to combine later.
What is the difference between the four retrospective templates?
Standard (3 columns: Went Well, To Improve, Action Items) is the classic format for most sprint retros. Starfish (5 columns: Keep, More, Less, Start, Stop) gives more nuanced feedback categories. 4Ls (Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed For) focuses on personal reflection and growth. Sailboat uses a metaphor (Wind as forces, Anchor as blockers, Rocks as risks, Island as goals) which works well for post-mortems and strategic planning sessions.
Will my retro cards be saved if I close the browser?
Yes. The board automatically saves all cards, votes, and timer settings to your browser's localStorage. When you reopen the page, everything is restored exactly as you left it. To start fresh, click "New Retro" or "Clear" to wipe the saved data. Note that clearing your browser data or using incognito mode will remove the saved state.
How do I export my retrospective results to share with the team?
Click the "Export" button in the toolbar and choose your format: Markdown, JSON, or plain text. Markdown is ideal for pasting into Confluence, Notion, or GitHub issues, as cards are sorted by vote count with votes displayed inline. JSON gives you structured data for programmatic use or archiving. Plain text is a simple list format suitable for email or chat messages.