How do I find the right software tool for sprint retrospectives?
To choose the right retrospective software tool for you, you should take various things into consideration:
- Are you co-located in the office or do you collaborate remotely or virtually?
- How big is your team?
- How well does your team already know each other, how mature is it?
- Which integrations are important to you?
- Which features are particularly important to you?
- How important is data protection for your team, private & anonymous retro boards etc.?
- Do you need a free software tool, or how much budget do you have available?
- Would you like to do a free trial?
- Which software tools for agile sprint retrospectives are best rated?
Depending on these and other variables, you should choose two to three retrospective software tools and try them out with your team. After you have conducted a retrospective with them, you can then decide on a retrospective tool together with your team.
Overview: 3 popular retrospective software tools compared
The following table provides a brief overview of 3 of the most popular retrospective software tools. Points from 1 (bad grade) to 3 (good grade) are given and an overall rating is calculated.
| Echometer | FunRetro former EasyRetro Board | Metro Retro | |
| Fun & engagement factor | 3: Very high | 1: Low | 2: Medium |
| Integrations | 2: Medium | 1: Low | 2: Medium |
| Feature width | 3: Very high | 1: Low | 1: Low |
| Detailed free version | 3: Yes | 2: Partial | 1: No |
| Privacy, data protection, GDPR | 3: High priority | 1: No priority | 1: No priority |
| Public G2 valuation | 3: 4.7/5 | 2: 4.3/5 | 1: 4.0/5 |
| Group size | 3: Good for large to small teams | 3: Good for large to small teams | 2: Large teams may have difficulties on the whiteboard |
| Customer testimonial | ”If I had to limit myself to three tools, Echometer would be in." | "Enables easy collaboration and everyone works together in real time." | "It is not Miro, but it is free.” |
| Costs | From 29€ per team | From 22€ per team | From 4€ per user (not team) |
| Overall rating | 13/14 points (very good) | 4/14 points (medium) | 3/14 points (medium) |
Based on the criteria mentioned here, Echometer clearly emerges as the most recommendable retrospective software tool. If fun, various features and GDPR are important to you, Echometer is the best online retro board.
Step-by-step guide: Choosing a retrospective software tool
I recommend the following steps if you want to select a retrospective software tool and make the right decision:
- “Decide - possibly involving your team - which criteria and features are important to you: Do you want to keep it simple (EasyRetro), have some fun (Echometer), or work specifically on a flexible whiteboard (Miro & Echometer), for example?”
- Clarify the framework conditions: What data protection regulations do you have to observe, how much budget do you have available, etc.?
- Test the 2-3 retrospective software tools with your team once or twice.
- Decide together with your team which online retro board you would like to use in the long term.
- At best, make sure that measures and notes from the previous retrospectives in the other tools are transferred to your new tool.
Based on the analysis above, my recommendation is to also try out the online retrospective board tool Echometer.
Step-by-step guide: Choosing a retrospective software tool
The most important criteria are summarized here for you as a checklist:
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Can you enable anonymous entries if required (as with Echometer)?
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Does the tool support your favorite retro formats (e.g. start/stop/continue, 4Ls, etc.)?
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Is the workflow for your team (remote or hybrid) simple and intuitive?
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Can the tool be easily integrated into your existing systems?
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Does it help you to record and track measures (as with Echometer)?
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Can you easily find previous retrospectives (history, archive as with Echometer)?
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Does it fit your team size and budget?
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Does the security or data hosting meet the requirements of your company (high standards as with Echometer)?
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Will your team enjoy using the tool (culture, engagement) as the Echometer tool encourages, for example?
Once you have answered these questions and tried out a few tools, you should be able to make a good decision together with your team.
FAQs: Frequently asked questions
Here are some frequently asked questions in this context.
What things should you consider when choosing a retrospective software tool?
You can find a detailed checklist above, but here is a brief summary of the two most important factors:
- Request general conditions: Determine in advance what data protection regulations, SSO requirements etc. and what budget you have
- Involve your team”: Test the retrospective tools - most, like Echometer, allow free trials”
Which websites help you choose the right retrospective software board?
G2 and Capterra offer an overview of neutral, verified customer and user reviews. The retrospective software tool Echometer, for example, performs particularly well.
- Here is the link to Capterra: Capterra Retrospective Software Tool Review.
- Here is the link to G2: G2 Retrospective Software Tool Review.
