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4 Ls retrospective

The 4 Ls, or 4Ls, ask what the team liked, learned, lacked and longed for. Two columns look back at what went well, two at what was missing, which makes it a good fit for the end of a project or a long sprint.

4 columns · 45 to 60 minutes · Free, no sign-up

Your team joins with the link.

When to run a 4 Ls retro

  • A project, release or quarter just ended and you want a full look back.
  • The team tried something new, such as a tool or a way of working, and you want to keep what it taught you.
  • A retro that should weigh the good and the missing equally.

The four columns

Each column asks the team one question. Read the questions out before anyone writes, so everyone answers the same ones.

4 Ls retrospective template: Liked, Learned, Lacked and Longed For columns with example cards
The 4 Ls retrospective template, with two example cards in each column.

  1. Liked

    What did you enjoy or appreciate?

    For example

    The kickoff workshop with support

    Anonymous

  2. Learned

    What do you know now that you did not before?

    For example

    Feature flags make Friday releases calm

    Anonymous

  3. Lacked

    What was missing, or what held you back?

    For example

    A clear owner for the API changes

    Anonymous

  4. Longed For

    What do you wish you had had?

    For example

    An afternoon a week without meetings

    Anonymous

How to run a 4 Ls retrospective

About 45 to 60 minutes for a team of five to eight, in one shared room.

  1. Open the room

    Press Start a retro with 4 Ls: the room opens with the four columns ready, and teammates join from its link with just a name.

  2. Warm up

    Every retro opens with a warm-up question. Answers stay hidden until someone reveals them, then everyone reads them at once.

  3. Write in private

    Give everyone ten minutes on the shared timer. Four columns take a little longer to fill. Nobody sees anyone else's cards until the reveal.

  4. Reveal and group

    Anyone can reveal the board, after a three-second countdown. Drag cards that say the same thing onto each other to group them.

  5. Talk it through

    Take Liked and Learned first to collect what worked, then turn to Lacked and Longed For: the changes are in those two columns.

  6. Agree on action points

    Add each decision as an action point from the board's sidebar. The summary lists them, and a retro run under a team keeps them on the team's page.

Formats like 4 Ls

All 11 templates →

  • Peaks and Valleys

    Map the highs, lows and steady stretches of a longer period.

    Peaks · Valleys · Plateaus

  • Rose, Thorn, Bud

    Everyone shares a success, a challenge and an opportunity.

    Rose · Thorn · Bud

  • Mad Sad Glad

    Give feelings a place: what frustrated, disappointed and pleased the team.

    Mad · Sad · Glad

Questions about 4 Ls retros

What are the 4 Ls of a retrospective?

Liked, Learned, Lacked and Longed For. Liked and Learned collect what went well and what the team discovered; Lacked and Longed For collect what was missing and what people wish for next time.

What is the difference between Lacked and Longed For?

Lacked looks back: something that was missing and hurt the work. Longed For looks ahead: something people wish they had, even if going without it did no harm.

How long does a 4 Ls retro take?

Plan 45 to 60 minutes. Four columns gather more cards than three, so leave time to group them before you talk.

Can we change the columns?

Yes. Rename a column or add one, up to five, in the launcher before you start or in the room's settings during the retro. A card stays with the column name it was written under, so rename a column before the team writes in it.

Do participants need an account?

No. Teammates open the room link and type their name. They can sign in with Google or GitHub at any time and keep everything they wrote.

Ready for a 4 Ls retro?

Your team joins with a link, and nobody needs to sign up.

All templates