Introduction: What You’ll Learn
Sometimes blockers never get voiced in standups — maybe they felt small, or someone didn’t feel comfortable bringing them up. This simulation helps you spot the signs and guide the team toward surfacing hidden blockers during a retro.
You’ll practice:
- Reading the signals when something’s been held back
- Asking safe, non-confrontational questions
- Turning vague friction into clear blockers
- Creating a culture of openness without pressure
Step-by-Step Simulation
(You noticed during the sprint that a few teammates gave vague or overly positive updates, and some stories moved slower than expected. Your goal now is to explore what might’ve gone unsaid.)
Scene 1: Checking the Sprint Flow
Facilitator: "Welcome, everyone. Let’s zoom out a bit before we dive into Start, Stop, Continue. How did this sprint feel overall — smooth, bumpy, somewhere in between?"
Leo: "Mostly fine, but it did feel like things moved kind of slowly mid-week."
Priya: "Yeah, I felt like I was waiting on stuff, but I wasn’t sure if that was just me."
Facilitator: "Thanks for calling that out. Sounds like a few of us might’ve been stuck or unclear — let’s dig into that."
Scene 2: Surfacing What Wasn’t Said
Facilitator: "If there was a blocker or delay you didn’t mention during standup, no shame at all — happens to all of us. Anything come to mind now in hindsight?"
Alex: "I had trouble with the new deployment script, but it felt small, so I didn’t raise it."
Sara: "Honestly, I didn’t speak up about being confused by the updated ticket flow. I didn’t want to slow things down."
Facilitator: "Appreciate the honesty — these are the exact kinds of things retros help us catch and improve."
(Team begins to reflect more openly on blockers and habits.)
Scene 3: Turning Insight into Safety
Facilitator: "What would help us catch these sooner? Would async check-ins, pairing, or something else help us surface blockers earlier?"
Leo: "I’d love async check-ins midweek — sometimes I don’t realize I’m stuck until later."
Priya: "Maybe adding a 'confidence score' or 'feeling stuck?' emoji reaction during standups could help normalize it."
Facilitator: "Great ideas — let’s try one of these next sprint and see how it goes."
Scene 4: Wrapping Up
Facilitator: "Thanks for digging into the harder stuff today. Here’s what we’ll carry forward:"
- Midweek async check-in to surface blockers
- Experiment with emoji-style reactions to signal blockers
- Normalize mentioning even small blockers in standup
Facilitator: "Anyone want to volunteer to follow up on one of these?"
(Priya will try the emoji reactions. Alex will draft the async check-in message template. Facilitator will remind the team at the next standup.)
Facilitator: "Appreciate the honesty today — this is how we keep getting better together."
Mini Roleplay Challenges
Challenge 1: Someone says everything was fine but clearly struggled.
- Best Response: “Appreciate that — would you be open to chatting after to unpack a bit?”
Challenge 2: A teammate admits something late in the retro.
- Best Response: “Thanks for surfacing that — let’s think about what would’ve made it easier to share earlier.”
Challenge 3: Nobody mentions any blockers at all.
- Best Response: “That’s great if true — but let’s double-check: anything feel slower or less clear than usual?”
Optional Curveball Mode
- A blocker went unresolved but no one followed up
- Someone is embarrassed about needing help
- A team member always says “no blockers,” but is frequently late on work
Reflection Checklist
Facilitation
- Did I ask questions that encouraged reflection?
- Did I avoid blame or shame?
Team Safety
- Did we surface blockers that were missed during the sprint?
- Did we create a safer pattern for next time?
Continuous Improvement
- Did we walk away with specific next steps?
- Did the team feel supported, not judged?
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Pressuring people to confess blockers
- Ignoring small patterns that hint at hidden issues
- Treating blockers as personal failure
- Ending the retro without a plan to surface blockers earlier next time