What is a 4Ls Retrospective?
A 4Ls Retrospective is a simple yet powerful reflection technique used by agile teams to look back on a sprint, project, or workflow and identify what they Liked, Learned, Lacked, and Longed For. By breaking feedback into these four categories, teams can celebrate wins, capture valuable lessons, highlight missing resources, and share aspirations for improvement. The structured yet open format makes it easy to spark meaningful discussions, uncover insights that might otherwise be missed, and turn reflections into actionable steps for continuous growth.
4Ls Retrospective Examples
1. Standard 4Ls Retrospective Template
With this standard 4Ls Retrospective template, teams can easily capture and organize their reflections across what they Liked, Learned, Lacked, and Longed For. Its simple, ready-to-use layout makes it easy to get started while still giving you the flexibility to customize the quadrants, colors, or labels to fit your team’s style and needs. The template provides a clear structure that makes discussions more focused, ensures all voices are heard, and helps turn feedback into actionable next steps for continuous team growth.
2. 4Ls Retrospective Template for Projects
The 4Ls Retrospective Template for Projects includes helpful prompts in each section such as “What went well?”, “What can we improve?”, or “What experiences have we gained?” so participants can quickly capture meaningful insights. Its guided structure ensures balanced discussions that highlight both successes and areas for growth, while still being flexible enough to adapt to different project types. This makes it a practical tool for turning project reflections into actionable improvements for future work.
3. 4Ls Retrospective Template for Sprints
The 4Ls Retrospective Template for Sprints helps agile teams reflect at the end of each sprint by focusing on what they Liked, Learned, Lacked, and Longed For. Its simple structure makes it easy to highlight wins, share lessons, identify blockers, and capture aspirations for improvement, all within the sprint context. By keeping reflections focused and actionable, the template supports continuous improvement, strengthens team collaboration, and ensures each sprint builds on the progress of the last.
4. AI 4Ls Retrospective Template
Creately’s AI 4Ls Retrospective Template makes sprint or project reflections faster and smarter by combining the Liked, Learned, Lacked, and Longed For framework with AI assistance. Instead of starting from a blank canvas, the template helps you generate ideas, uncover hidden insights, and even suggest discussion points based on your team’s inputs. With AI guiding the process, teams can run more focused retrospectives, save time, and quickly turn reflections into actionable steps for continuous improvement.
5. UX Retrospective Template (4Ls Framework)
The UX Retrospective Template (4Ls Framework) is designed to help UX and design teams reflect on their projects with structure and clarity. Built around the classic Liked, Learned, Lacked, and Longed For framework, this template goes a step further by including a basic agenda tailored to UX workflows, along with dedicated sections for Insights and Action Items to ensure discussions lead to tangible improvements. Each of the 4Ls quadrants comes pre-filled with example prompts and suggestions to guide thinking.
6. Cross-Functional Team 4Ls Retrospective Example
The Cross-Functional Team 4Ls Retrospective Template helps multi-department teams like marketing, product, and sales reflect on how they work together. By organizing feedback into what was Liked, Learned, Lacked, and Longed For, it creates space to celebrate collaboration wins, share fresh perspectives, and surface gaps in roles or priorities. Simple to use and easy to adapt, this template supports open conversations that lead to better alignment, shared understanding, and smoother teamwork across departments.
7. Personal Development 4Ls Retrospective Example
The Personal Development 4Ls Retrospective Template is designed for individuals or one-on-one sessions to reflect on personal growth and progress. By breaking feedback into what was Liked, Learned, Lacked, and Longed For, it helps surface achievements, new skills, and areas where support may have been missing, while also clarifying future goals and aspirations. Simple yet flexible, this template encourages self-awareness and continuous improvement, making it a practical tool for career growth and personal reflection.
8. Remote Team 4Ls Retrospective Example
The Remote Team 4Ls Retrospective Template is built to help distributed and hybrid teams reflect on how they work together across locations. By focusing on what was Liked, Learned, Lacked, and Longed For, it highlights wins in remote collaboration, lessons from async and time zone management, and areas where communication or tools may have fallen short. Simple and adaptable, this template gives teams a clear way to surface challenges, strengthen connections, and create actionable steps to make remote work smoother and more effective.
9. Leadership and Management 4Ls Retrospective Example
The Leadership and Management 4Ls Retrospective Template is designed for leadership teams to reflect on strategy, culture, and organizational performance. Using the Liked, Learned, Lacked, and Longed For framework, it helps leaders celebrate decision-making wins, capture lessons from navigating challenges, and surface areas where vision or support may have fallen short. By structuring reflections this way, the template encourages open conversations, strengthens alignment, and creates actionable insights to improve leadership practices and drive organizational growth.
10. R&D and Creative Team 4Ls Retrospective Example
The R&D and Creative Team 4Ls Retrospective Template helps design, R&D, and creative teams reflect on their projects in a structured way. By capturing what was Liked, Learned, Lacked, and Longed For, it highlights successful ideas, valuable lessons from prototyping, and areas where resources or clarity were missing. The template also encourages teams to express aspirations for more creative freedom, tools, and support, making it a practical guide for fostering innovation while ensuring continuous improvement in future projects.
Whether you’re running sprints, managing cross-functional projects, or reflecting on personal growth, the 4Ls Retrospective offers a simple yet flexible way to capture insights and drive continuous improvement. With Creately’s ready-to-use templates, you can run retrospectives faster, keep discussions focused, and turn feedback into clear action items, all within one collaborative workspace.
Helpful Resources for Retrospectives
Find how Creately’s retrospective software can help you run retro meetings.
Discover Creately’s ready-to-use and free 4Ls retro templates.
Read this ultimate guide to retrospectives that goes into the history, formats, and how to run retros.
Discover templates for all types of different retrospective frameworks.
FAQs about 4Ls Retrospective Examples
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Resources
D. Moritz Marutschke, et al. “Agile, Hybrid Teaching Methods Of Distributed Project Management And Intercultural Skills For Global Software Engineering During The Pandemic.” ICERI Proceedings, vol. 1, 1 Nov. 2022, pp. 8513–8520, https://doi.org/10.21125/iceri.2022.2244.
Dali, Keren, and Garrett Hohmann. “Preserving the Wonder of Stories: The Role of Reflection in Reading Education in Library and Information Science Programs.” Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 24 May 2022, https://doi.org/10.3138/jelis-2022-0014.
