The team's retrospectives feel stale. What do you change?

First I find out why they feel stale. Common causes are the same format every time, no follow-through on actions, low psychological safety, or a lack of data.

What I would change:

1. Vary the format. Try different structures, such as Start/Stop/Continue, 4Ls, a timeline of the Sprint, or a sailboat exercise. Change the setting or the facilitator now and then.
2. Bring data. Show metrics such as cycle time, escaped defects and mood over time, so talk is grounded in facts.
3. Follow through. Limit to one to three improvements, give each an owner, and review them at the start of the next retrospective. A team that sees change happen keeps engaging.
4. Build safety. Make sure people can speak honestly, with anonymous input if needed, and that the event is not used to assign blame.
5. Zoom out or in. Sometimes focus on one theme, such as collaboration or quality, rather than everything.

I also ask the team directly how to make the retrospective more useful.