What is Rose, Bud, Thorn?
Rose, Bud, Thorn is a three-column retrospective with prompts that need no explaining. It came out of design thinking workshops and travels well to software teams because it asks for observations rather than decisions, which is much easier for people who are new to retros or new to each other.
Rose
Something that worked, or that you are proud of. A win, a smooth process, help you received.
Bud
Something with potential. An idea, a half-finished improvement, an opportunity the team has not picked up yet. Not a commitment, an observation.
Thorn
Something that hurt. A blocker, a frustration, a mistake, a thing that took far longer than it should have.
The Bud column is what makes the format distinctive. Where Start, Stop, Continue asks people to propose actions, Bud only asks them to notice possibilities. Teams that go quiet when asked "what should we start doing?" will happily fill a Bud column, and the actions follow in discussion.
How to run one (about 25 minutes)
- Collect (7 min). Everyone adds notes to the three columns silently. Anonymous input helps the Thorn column, as always.
- Group (3 min). Cluster similar notes.
- Vote (3 min). Two or three votes each. With three friendly columns, teams sometimes vote only for roses; nudge them to spend at least one vote on a thorn or a bud.
- Discuss and act (12 min). Take the top thorn and ask what would remove it. Take the top bud and ask what it would take to grow it. Two action items with owners is a good outcome for a short retro.
Rose, Bud, Thorn examples for software teams
Roses
- We finished the sprint with nothing half-done for the first time this quarter.
- The design review caught the accessibility problem before we built it.
- Nobody was paged over the weekend.
Buds
- The script we wrote to seed test data could become a proper fixture library.
- Two of us have started writing short decision notes in tickets; it would be worth making that the norm.
- The support team offered to join the demo; that could turn into regular feedback.
Thorns
- The flaky end-to-end test cost us most of Thursday.
- Requirements for the export changed twice after we had started.
- Nobody knew who owned the failing nightly job, so it stayed red for a week.
Facilitation tips
- Use it for a team's first retros. The prompts are low-stakes, so people learn the rhythm of collect, group, vote and discuss without pressure.
- Turn buds into experiments, not commitments. "Try decision notes in tickets for one sprint and see" is a bud growing. A full process change is not.
- Keep it short. The format's advantage is speed. If it starts taking an hour, switch to a format built for depth, such as the 4Ls.
- Graduate when ready. Once a team writes thorns freely and follows through on actions, Start, Stop, Continue will give sharper results.
Questions teams ask
What does Rose, Bud, Thorn mean?
Rose is what worked or what you are proud of. Bud is something with potential worth growing. Thorn is what hurt: a blocker, a frustration, a mistake.
Who is it for?
New teams, teams new to retros, short sprints, and anyone who finds the usual formats heavy. It takes about twenty minutes.
How is Bud different from Start?
Start proposes an action. Bud notices a possibility without committing anyone to it, which is much easier to write.
How long does it take?
Twenty to thirty minutes for a team of six to eight.
More retrospective formats
See all five templates with guidance on choosing between them: Sprint retrospective templates. Related formats: Start, Stop, Continue, 4Ls, Mad, Sad, Glad, Sailboat.
Run a Rose, Bud, Thorn retrospective now
Three columns, anonymous notes, voting and action items, done in twenty minutes. Create a board and share the link; the team needs no account.
Start the retro