Mad/Sad/Glad Retrospective Template
An emotion-based retro format that gives team members a safe space to express frustrations, concerns, and wins — building psychological safety and honest communication.
See it in action
Drag cards between columns to try the format. Vote on items to see what surfaces.
What frustrated or angered you this sprint? Name specific situations, not people.
Scope changes on day 14 of a 2-week sprint
No time allocated for refactoring — again
Discovering production bug that was known for weeks
What disappointed you? What could have gone better?
We didn't get to the accessibility improvements
Couldn't deliver on our sprint promise
Lost a team member to another project
What made you happy or proud this sprint? Wins, big and small.
Team bonding offsite was genuinely fun
CI pipeline time dropped from 45 min to 12 min
New hire is ramping up faster than expected
Shipped the new API — it's getting great feedback
How to run it
Mad/Sad/Glad takes about 20–30 min. Here's the flow.
Set the tone
Facilitator reminds the team this is a judgment-free space. All feelings are valid and welcome.
Add cards
Team silently adds cards to Mad, Sad, and Glad. Encourage at least one card per column.
Group and vote
Cluster similar emotions, vote on what to discuss. Prioritize themes, not individual grievances.
Discuss
Discuss the top-voted items in each column. Focus on understanding, not defending.
Action items
Identify 1-2 concrete changes that address the most important emotional themes.
- ✓Start with Glad — it sets a positive tone before venturing into Mad and Sad.
- ✓Use anonymous mode for the Mad column — people share more honestly.
- ✓Don't try to solve everything — sometimes listening is the intervention.
- ✓Facilitator should model vulnerability by sharing their own cards first.
- ✓Follow up on emotional themes in 1-on-1s between sprints.
- ✓Celebrate Glad items publicly — they reinforce positive culture.
- ✗Letting Mad dominate the conversation — make space for all three emotions equally.
- ✗Dismissing Sad items as 'not actionable' — sometimes validation is the action.
- ✗Forcing solutions during the discussion phase — listen first, solve second.
- ✗Skipping Glad when time runs short — it's the most important column for morale.
- ✗Running this format weekly — emotional retros are most valuable every 2-3 sprints.
- ✗Not following up on themes — if Mad patterns repeat, the format loses trust.
What is a Mad/Sad/Glad retrospective?
The Mad/Sad/Glad retrospective is one of the most emotionally intelligent Agile retrospective formats in existence. Instead of asking "what went wrong," it asks "how do you feel?" — unlocking a level of honesty and psychological safety that process-focused formats often miss.
This format emerged from the recognition that team dynamics and emotional health directly impact sprint outcomes. A team that feels unheard or frustrated will ship slower, regardless of how efficient their processes look on paper. Mad/Sad/Glad gives every team member permission to name their emotions without judgment.
The psychology behind Mad/Sad/Glad is rooted in emotional granularity theory — the ability to identify and name specific emotions. When engineers say "I'm frustrated," it's often vague. The Mad column forces specificity: what exactly is making me angry? The Glad column captures genuine wins. The Sad column creates space for disappointment without shame. Together, these three buckets provide a complete emotional picture of a sprint.
Similar templates
If you like Mad/Sad/Glad, you might also enjoy these formats.
4Ls
A structured four-column retro format — Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed For — that balances positive reinforcement with honest improvement areas.
Stoplight
An intuitive traffic-light retro format — Red for blockers, Yellow for caution, Green for smooth sailing — that makes team health instantly visible at a glance.
Mountain Climb
A forward-looking retrospective format that helps goal-oriented teams reflect on progress, identify blockers, and plan the next sprint like climbing a mountain.
Start/Stop/Continue
A classic three-column retro format that helps teams identify new practices to adopt, unhelpful habits to drop, and winning behaviors to reinforce.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Mad/Sad/Glad retrospective?
Mad/Sad/Glad is an emotion-based retrospective format where team members share what made them mad, sad, and glad during a sprint. It builds psychological safety and surfaces hidden team dynamics.
How is Mad/Sad/Glad different from other retros?
Unlike process-focused formats like Start/Stop/Continue, Mad/Sad/Glad centers on emotions. It's better for surfacing morale issues, burnout, and team dynamics that structured formats miss.
Should I run Mad/Sad/Glad every sprint?
Every 2-3 sprints is usually better than weekly. Emotional retros are most impactful when the team has had time to accumulate genuine feelings to share.
Can I use Mad/Sad/Glad for remote teams?
Yes — LetRetro's async mode lets remote team members contribute to each column in their own time, making it easier to share honest emotions.
What if a Mad item is about a person?
The facilitator should gently redirect from person-focused complaints to situation-focused feedback. Use 'I feel frustrated when X happens' instead of 'Person Y did Z.'
How does AI help with Mad/Sad/Glad?
LetRetro's AI identifies emotional trends across sprints — spotting rising frustration or declining morale before they become crises.
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