Mad, Sad, Glad Retrospective
An emotional check-in that surfaces how the team actually feels — before it becomes attrition.
Free · No credit card · Guests join by link
The board
01
MAD
What frustrated the team?
02
SAD
What disappointed you?
03
GLAD
What made you feel good?
Mad, Sad, Glad is a retrospective about emotions, not processes. It asks each person what frustrated them, what disappointed them, and what made them genuinely happy during the sprint.
Teams systematically under-report frustration in status meetings; it surfaces months later as burnout and attrition. This format gives negative emotions a legitimate, structured outlet — and anonymity is what makes it work. When cards carry no names, people write what they actually feel instead of what is safe to say.
When to use Mad · Sad · Glad
- After a stressful release, incident, or crunch period
- When you sense morale is slipping but nobody says anything in standups
- Quarterly, as a team-health pulse alongside your regular process retros
- When new members joined and you want to check how the team dynamic feels
How to run it in Retromik
- 1
Create cards anonymously
Everyone adds cards to each column at the same time. In Retromik, cards stay concealed and anonymous while people write, so nobody anchors on the loudest voice.
- 2
Vote on what matters
Each person places a limited set of voting tokens on the cards they think deserve discussion. Limited tokens force real prioritization.
- 3
Discuss the top cards
Walk through the highest-voted cards one by one. The facilitator steers the focus; anyone can comment on any card.
- 4
Reveal and group themes
Authors are revealed and the facilitator drags related cards into named themes, turning scattered notes into patterns.
- 5
Commit to action items
Convert the discussion into specific, owned action items with due dates — the part most retrospectives skip.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Mad, Sad, Glad retrospective?
It is a retrospective format focused on emotions: three columns collect what made team members mad (frustrated), sad (disappointed), and glad (happy) during the sprint. It surfaces team-health signals that process-focused retros miss.
Why does anonymity matter for Mad, Sad, Glad?
Because the format asks for feelings, not facts. People will rarely attach their name to 'I'm frustrated with how decisions get made.' Retromik keeps cards anonymous until a deliberate Reveal phase, which makes honest emotional input dramatically more likely.
How do you turn feelings into action items?
Group the highest-voted cards into themes, then ask 'what would need to change for this feeling to be different next sprint?' The answer — not the feeling itself — becomes the action item with an owner and a date.
Is Mad, Sad, Glad suitable for remote teams?
Yes — it is one of the best formats for remote teams, where emotional signals are hardest to read. Running it on a shared online board with simultaneous anonymous writing takes 45-60 minutes.
Related templates
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ViewLiked · Learned · Lacked
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ViewStrengths · Risks · Learnings
A balanced sprint review that looks backward and forward at once — Retromik's signature format.
ViewRun your next retro with Mad · Sad · Glad
Create the board in under a minute, share the link, and your team joins anonymously — no accounts needed for participants.
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