Rose, Bud, Thorn

A lightweight retrospective format to capture wins, opportunities, and blockers.

Rose, Bud, Thorn helps teams quickly reflect on a sprint, project phase, or workshop.

How I use it

  • Rose surfaces what worked and should be repeated.
  • Bud captures opportunities worth exploring.
  • Thorn documents pain points or unresolved risks.

I use this format at the end of high-velocity projects because it produces actionable patterns without over-structuring the conversation.