How to Run a One-Person Project Retrospective
- Danil
- Oct 7
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 11
Let’s start by agreeing on the basics, so we don’t drift into motivational coaching territory 🙅
The term comes from Scrum methodology, where each iteration (a sprint) ends with a Sprint Retrospective. The goal isn’t just to “discuss results,” but to plan ways to increase quality and effectiveness before the next iteration.
That’s how the whole system moves: sprint → retrospective → another sprint (already improved based on what you learned) → retrospective → sprint…
You get the idea :)
If you want to see how Scrum works in general, check out the official guide. You can go all-in on the Scrum framework (which requires some reading and practice), but you can also start with an easy approach: a small project retrospective.
To make a long story short, a retrospective is a quick look back at a project, initiative, or campaign: what worked, what didn’t, and what you’d do differently next time.
When you work solo (or in a small group), it’s a way to create that same moment of reflection, without ceremony, but with intention.
You don’t need sticky notes (though they do help sometimes!) or facilitation.
You just need an hour of honesty and curiosity about your own process.
Why bother
When you work alone, there’s no built-in feedback loop. You’re busy doing the thing.
No one asks, “Is this still working?” or “What should we stop doing?” and over time, that silence can turn into… well, anything: inertia, overcommitment, tunnel vision, burnout, or loss of interest.
So many creative ways to fail 🫠
A retrospective breaks that silence. It’s not about performance metrics, it’s about clarity.
Knowing that you’re learning while doing, growing while doing, not just… doing.
How to prepare
Set aside 30–40 minutes of quiet. Alone.
Seriously, put your phone away.
Open a document, a Notion page, or just a piece of paper — whatever helps you think.
Have everything you might need nearby: notes, metrics, drafts, feedback, any kind of trace of the project.
Get ready and begin.
Simple structure
There are dozens of retrospective frameworks, but here’s a simple one that works for small projects (and busy people).
Four key questions plus one optional, but very useful one.
There are dozens of retrospective frameworks, but here’s a simple one that works for small projects (and busy people).
Four key questions — plus one optional, but very useful one.
What worked
What helped you move forward? What’s worth keeping?
If possible, briefly explain why.
What didn’t
What did you try that didn’t work — or worked worse than expected?
What failed completely? Again, note why.
What’s still bothering you?
What still feels unresolved — in your project, in your process, or maybe even in yourself?
What I’ve learned
A place for insights and lessons — learned and unlearned.
What’s next
Now look at all the answers above.
What will you do next?
What will you definitely not repeat?
What will you keep doing the same way?
What will you try differently?
Take your time — but don’t turn this into a week-long reflection retreat.
Sit down, do it once, one hour max.
After the retrospective
Keep the results accessible. Print them out, pin them to your wall, save them in your notes app — whatever keeps them visible.
When you plan your next steps, go back and check them.
And most importantly: make it a habit. Once a month, or at the end of each project phase.
Small rhythm, big payoff.
A small confession
You know what’s hardest for me? Not doing the retrospective, but coming back to it later.
Revisiting it when I start something new.
That’s where the real value is: connecting what you’ve already learned to what you’re about to build next.
One-Person Retrospective Template
We’ve prepared it as a Word file and an editable PDF file.
You can download it for free on Gumroad.
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