Mad / Sad / Glad

Surface emotions and build psychological safety through honest reflection

What is Mad/Sad/Glad?

Mad/Sad/Glad is an emotions-focused retrospective format that encourages teams to share honest feelings about the sprint. By acknowledging emotions, teams build psychological safety and surface issues that might otherwise go unspoken.

This format is particularly powerful for teams working through challenges or building trust. Plan for 45-60 minutes.

Mad

What made you MAD this sprint?

Frustrations, blockers, or things that made you angry or annoyed during the sprint.

Examples:

  • • Last-minute requirement changes
  • • Unclear priorities from stakeholders
  • • Production bugs that could have been prevented

Sad

What made you SAD this sprint?

Disappointments, missed opportunities, or things that didn't go as hoped.

Examples:

  • • Didn't finish the feature we were excited about
  • • Team member leaving the project
  • • Technical debt preventing innovation

Glad

What made you GLAD this sprint?

Successes, wins, positive moments, or things that brought you joy.

Examples:

  • • Shipped a feature users loved
  • • Great collaboration across teams
  • • Solved a complex technical problem together

When to Use This Template

After particularly challenging sprints

When building psychological safety within the team

Teams with high trust that can handle emotional honesty

When you want to surface underlying team dynamics

Facilitation Tips

Create Psychological Safety

Emphasize that all emotions are valid. Use anonymous mode if needed to encourage honesty.

Balance the Categories

Don't spend all your time on Mad. Make sure to celebrate wins in the Glad category too.

Turn Emotions into Actions

After discussing feelings, ask "What can we do about this?" to create actionable outcomes.

Watch for Patterns

If multiple people are mad/sad about the same thing, it's a priority issue to address.

Ready to build psychological safety?

Start your Mad/Sad/Glad retro now. Anonymous mode available.