Fat Guy
Purpose
It allows improvements to be expressed more precisely than "good/bad" or "keep/stop" techniques: not only what should be improved, but how often and in which direction (more, less, keep, or eliminate).
How to run the activity
- Draw a large, stout human figure on a whiteboard or flip chart. Divide the belly into four sections:
- Green = more (actions to do more often)
- Blue = less (actions to do less often)
- Yellow = keep (actions to keep doing just as they are)
- Orange = eliminate (actions to stop doing)
- Each team member writes their ideas on sticky notes of the corresponding color and places them in the appropriate section.
- The team shares the ideas to remove duplicates, refine the remaining ones, and reach agreements.
- The team selects the highest-priority actions for the next sprint.
Common mistake
Using the technique to complain instead of to commit. The distinction between "more," "less," "keep," and "eliminate" forces people to be specific about what they want to change and in which direction. If the sticky notes end up describing problems instead of specific actions ("there's a lot of pressure" instead of "hold fewer unplanned meetings"), the technique loses its value for planning improvement.
Resources
🔧 Diseñar una retrospectiva [Designing a Retrospective, in Spanish]Template · Scrum Manager
📄 Tercera fase de una retrospectiva: crear conocimiento [Third Phase of a Retrospective: Creating Knowledge, in Spanish]Scrum Manager Blog · Oct 2023
References
- Derby, Esther; Larsen, Diana. (2006). Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great. Pragmatic Bookshelf.
See also
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