The 4Ls Retrospective Explained (Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed For)

The 4Ls retrospective asks the team to reflect through four lenses: Liked, Learned, Lacked, and Longed For. It's a favorite for teams that want more than a list of action items — it draws out learning and unmet needs, not just process tweaks.

The four lenses

Liked

What did people genuinely enjoy or appreciate about the sprint? This captures wins and positive moments worth repeating.

Learned

What new knowledge, skills, or insights did the team gain? Naming learnings out loud spreads them across the team and turns individual experience into shared knowledge.

Lacked

What was missing that would have helped? Tools, information, clarity, support — "Lacked" is where gaps in the team's environment surface without pointing fingers.

Longed For

What did people wish they had? This is the aspirational column: the practices, resources, or conditions the team wants but doesn't yet have.

Why the 4Ls work

Compared with a pure action-focused format like Start, Stop, Continue, the 4Ls create room for reflection and emotion. "Learned" and "Longed For" in particular invite the kind of forward-looking, growth-oriented conversation that a strictly problem-solving retro can miss. They're especially good after a big release, a rough sprint, or a project milestone.

How to run a 4Ls retrospective

1. Set up four areas — one per L — whether on a board or in a shared async session.
2. Reflect individually (10 min). Everyone adds sticky notes or cards to each L on their own.
3. Share and cluster (15 min). Group similar items and let people expand on them.
4. Discuss the themes (10 min). Pay special attention to "Lacked" and "Longed For" — these often reveal systemic issues.
5. Commit (10 min). Translate the strongest themes into one or two improvements for next sprint.

Facilitation tips

• Don't let "Liked" and "Learned" get rushed — positives build the safety that makes the harder columns honest.
• Watch for "Lacked" items that are really systemic constraints; those deserve a root-cause conversation.
• Turn "Longed For" items into concrete experiments rather than leaving them as wishes.

The 4Ls turn a sprint into a lesson, not just a to-do list.

Related formats

If your team responds better to emotional framing, compare the 4Ls with Mad, Sad, Glad. New to retros entirely? Start with what a sprint retrospective is, and grab a ready-to-run 4Ls layout from our templates.