Mario Kart Retro
Mario Kart is a classic party game that packs a lot of chaos into a format that is incredibly approachable for... well, anyone. The Mario Kart retro brings that same chaotic-yet-approachable energy to retros which can get often stuck on autopilot.
- What is it?: A retro format where every participant shares a fixed yet balanced set of items that range from "awesome" to "ouch"
- When to use it?: When you want to mix things up or hear from people that aren't usually as vocal
- Schedule: ~5m per participant ( + intro / outro time )
- Resources: Interactive Mario Kart Track - Google Slides
- Bonus Points: Follow the retro up with a Mario Kart tournament / happy hour if the team has a few Nintendo fans!
When to run a Mario Kart retro
If you often hear from the same folks every sprint, the Mario Kart retro is a fun way to hear from everyone.
This format also shines in giving rounded feedback! Not only does each participant get their time in the spotlight, but the items shared are portioned out into both positive and negative buckets.
Origin story
This idea was borrowed from Adrien Guéret and adapted for a remote/hybrid world where a physical board game isn't as easy to execute. Thank you Adrien for this brilliant idea!
Agile retrospective: welcome to Mario Kart!
Let’s move forward and avoid bananas!
medium.com
Running the Playbook
Here's a step-by-step guide to running a Mario Kart retro with your team.
Key takeaways
- Everyone that contributed to the sprint / project / milestone is heard
- Limited options for "cards" creates a more nuanced conversation
Scheduling
Booking these for Friday afternoons or before a team happy hour / team building time is ideal - especially if you decide to host a Mario Kart tournament afterwards!
- ⏰ ~5m per participant ( + intro / outro time )
- 👩💻 Anyone who contributed to the sprint / project / milestone
- 🎤 Pick a host who can keep the game fun and running on time
Prep
Preparing items to share in the retro can be done at the start of the call or in advance of the call. Because everyone thinks and types at different speeds, I prefer to post about the retro a few hours before the call and encourage everyone to come prepared with their items. Being that we are all human and time is fickle, I also leave five minutes at the beginning of the call for people to "wrap them up".
Rules and Limitations
- Each participant must pick exactly 3 items to share
- Max 2 bananas 🍌 🍌
- Max 2 mushrooms 🍄 🍄
- Max 1 Super Star ⭐
- Max 1 Bob-omb 💣
Picking exactly three items across this category gives a more balanced perspective of the sprint / project / milestone while also ensuring everyone shares about the same amount of items.
Running the retro
When crafting a speaking order, consider putting your most vocal contributors towards the end to ensure the group doesn't go over time
Resources
- Interactive Mario Kart Track - Google Slides
- Save a copy for your team to customize and share
- Use arrow keys to move Mario forwards and backwards
- Super Mario 256 Font
- Assets made by Adrien Guéret
Dive a little deeper
Related posts, videos, and podcast episodes