See example starters to get ideas.
Fully Formed Starters
- Our backlog’s a mess. It’s huge, confusing, and no one knows what’s actually important anymore.
- Standups drag on forever because everyone overexplains things that don’t matter to the rest of the team.
- We say we want to respond to change, but every change request turns into a mini war.
- Our sprint reviews feel like status meetings, not collaborative conversations.
- We plan everything in detail, then ignore the plan as soon as things change.
Mid-Length Starters
- Too many priorities. Everything’s urgent, so nothing is.
- Our retros are quiet. No one wants to talk.
- Stakeholders keep bypassing the team and pushing work in.
- The team doesn’t trust estimates anymore.
- We keep finishing stories, but the product doesn’t actually improve.
Short, Incomplete Thought Sparks
- Backlog chaos.
- Too many priorities.
- Silence in retros.
- Leadership pressure.
- Everyone’s busy, nothing moves.
- Work gets done… but no one cares.
- Everyone’s busy, but nothing moves.