The 3 Little Pigs

The 3 Little Pigs retrospective uses the well-known fairy tale to help teams analyze and strengthen their fundamentals.

Just like in the story, the team examines the solidity of their practices through three types of houses:

• Straw House 🏚️: What seems unstable? The fragile elements - processes, tools, or practices that could collapse at the first sign of trouble.
• Wood House 🏠: What lacks solidity? Things that work but aren't robust enough. They hold up under normal conditions but may not withstand pressure.
• Brick House 🏰: What is solid? The team's strong foundations - practices, processes, and habits that are reliable and proven.

Finally, The Cauldron 🍲 represents the actions the team will take to transform straw and wood elements into bricks.

This storytelling approach makes the retrospective more engaging and helps team members think about the durability and reliability of their practices rather than just whether they "work" in the moment. The metaphor naturally encourages thinking about long-term resilience.

The format is particularly effective for teams that want to assess the maturity of their processes or prepare for periods of increased workload where only the strongest practices will survive.