The three columns
Rose: what went well?
Highlights, wins and moments worth celebrating.
Prompts: What was the best part of this sprint?
Thorn: what hurt?
Pain points, blockers and frustrations.
Prompts: What was the hardest part? What got in the way?
Bud: what could grow?
Ideas, opportunities and things just getting started.
Prompts: What new idea is worth exploring? What's starting to work that we should nurture?
Retrocycle's template adds an Action items column at the end, so the conversation ends with actions that have an owner.
When to use it
- Short end-of-week or end-of-sprint check-ins.
- Large groups or several teams together.
- When you want ideas for the future, not just a review of the past.
When something else may work better: if a sprint went badly, Mad, Sad, Glad gives more room to dig into what happened.
A 30-minute agenda
- 1
Set the scene (3 min). Explain the three questions. Ask for at least one card in each column per person.
- 2
Write cards silently (6 min). Everyone adds a rose, a thorn and a bud.
- 3
Reveal and group (5 min). Group similar cards.
- 4
Vote (2 min). Vote on the thorns to fix and the buds to grow.
- 5
Discuss (10 min). Spend half the time on the top thorn and half on the top bud.
- 6
Agree on action items (4 min). One or two actions with owners.
Example cards
From a fictional design and engineering team:
| Rose | Thorn | Bud |
|---|---|---|
| Users loved the new onboarding | Handoffs from design came late in the sprint | A shared component library |
| We fixed the slowest page | Too many meetings on Wednesday | Talking to two customers every sprint |
And the actions that came out of it:
- Share designs at the start of the sprint, even if unfinished (owner: lead designer).
- Draft a plan for a shared component library (owner: one front-end engineer).
Tips for a better Rose, Thorn, Bud
- Ask for one card in each column per person, so everyone contributes.
- Buds are the most valuable column. Don't run out of time before reaching them.
- Works well asynchronously: collect cards over a day, discuss in 15 minutes.
Run it in Retrocycle
Pick the Rose, Thorn, Bud template, share the link, and your team joins as guests with just a name: no accounts needed. Turn on blur so cards stay hidden while people write, let people post anonymously if they want, vote, and close the retro with action items that carry over to the next one. How action items work
FAQ
Where does Rose, Thorn, Bud come from?
It's a design-thinking exercise that many agile teams use as a retrospective format.
Is it good for large groups?
Yes. Three simple questions and short cards scale well to bigger groups.
How long does it take?
About 30 minutes.
Do participants need an account?
No. In Retrocycle, guests join with the link and a display name, once a team member lets them in.