Temperature reading retrospectives & continuous learning¶
Inspired by Virginia Satir’s Temperature Reading, adapted for organisational retrospectives
The Temperature Reading retrospective is a structured way to take the pulse of a team or organisation. It allows participants to reflect on past actions, surface friction points, extract learning, and identify knowledge gaps — all in a safe, non-judgemental space. The process encourages honest observation, collective insight, and actionable planning, helping organisations evolve their practices and improve operational security, collaboration, and decision-making. The below is only the core process. It can be made quite fun.
What went well?¶
Purpose: Focus on successes first to acknowledge achievements and establish a positive baseline.
Implementation:
Invite participants to share specific observations of productive behaviours, successful decisions, or effective teamwork.
Encourage examples at both macro and micro levels — from overall project milestones to small interactions that improved workflow.
Avoid vague statements; the value comes from details that can be repeated or scaled.
Outcome: Creates awareness of strengths, validates effective practices, and motivates the team.
What did not go so well?¶
Purpose: Identify challenges and obstacles, focusing on facts rather than blame or conjecture.
Implementation:
Ask participants to report specific occurrences, not opinions or judgements.
Encourage reflection on process inefficiencies, miscommunication, resource bottlenecks, or unclear responsibilities.
Avoid prematurely offering solutions; let the facts surface before deciding on improvements.
Outcome: Surfaces real issues, clarifies pain points, and prepares the team to formulate targeted actions.
What have I learned?¶
Purpose: Extract insights from both successes and failures, building organisational memory.
Implementation:
Invite participants to reflect on patterns, behaviours, or decisions that taught them something new about processes, collaboration, or security practices.
Encourage consideration of both technical and human factors, such as how communication influenced outcomes or how security measures impacted workflow.
Outcome: Captures knowledge for the team, highlights opportunities for embedding learning, and encourages reflective practice.
What still puzzles me?¶
Purpose: Surface uncertainties, unanswered questions, or gaps in understanding.
Implementation:
Encourage participants to articulate questions or ambiguities about processes, priorities, or outcomes.
Promote discussion on risks, unknowns, and emerging challenges that require further exploration.
Frame these as open-ended questions rather than complaints to avoid defensiveness and generate curiosity.
Outcome: Identifies blind spots, drives inquiry, and creates a list of topics for deeper investigation or monitoring.
Identify actions¶
Purpose: Convert observations and insights into practical, prioritised improvements.
Implementation:
Review all items from the previous four steps and select 2–3 high-impact actions for follow-up.
Assign ownership, deadlines, and metrics for success where possible.
Ensure actions are realistic and achievable; overloading the team undermines follow-through.
Encourage iterative adjustment — actions can be refined based on outcomes from the next retrospective.
Outcome: Creates a tangible improvement plan, reinforces accountability, and supports continuous development of team processes and security practices.
Notes for Facilitation:¶
Maintain psychological safety throughout the session; no one should fear reprisal for honest input.
Use visual cues or colour coding to represent emotional intensity or confidence levels (e.g., high concern, caution, positive).
Integrate with quarterly improvement cycles for strategic alignment, or use in shorter sprints for operational adjustments.
Applicable across small start-ups to mid-sized teams implementing minimal SIRT functions, and larger organisations moving toward SOCs or cross-team security integration.