How is Wondering different from Lacked in 4Ls?

Lacked is a present-tense gap that needs filling. Wondering is a present-tense uncertainty that needs investigating. 'We Lacked a sign-off process' versus 'We're Wondering whether we still have the right sign-off process'. Lacked tends to produce action items. Wondering tends to produce questions to take into the next sprint.

Should we try to answer the Wonderings in the meeting?

Mostly no. The point of the Wondering column is to name the questions, not to resolve them. Resolving them in the meeting tends to produce hasty answers that don't survive. Pick one Wondering to investigate properly before the next retro and let the rest sit on the list.

Is this just Mad, Sad, Glad with one extra column?

Mechanically yes, but the Wondering column changes the meeting's shape. Mad, Sad, Glad is a feelings check-in. Glad, Sad, Mad, Wondering is a feelings check-in plus an inquiry. The two formats produce different kinds of conversation, even though three of the four columns look identical.

What goes in Wondering versus what goes in Sad?

Sad is something you wanted that didn't happen. Wondering is something you don't know whether you wanted at all. 'I'm Sad we didn't ship the dashboard' versus 'I'm Wondering whether the dashboard is still the right thing to be building'. The Wondering version is harder to surface and more valuable.

Can we run it without the team having Wonderings?

Run Mad, Sad, Glad instead. If the team genuinely has no questions floating, the Wondering column becomes filler and the format loses its point. Don't force it.

The toolkit · Glad, Sad, Mad, Wondering

Glad, Sad, Mad, Wondering retrospective

The Mad, Sad, Glad retro with a fourth column for the questions the team has been carrying around without naming.

40 prompts · 4 columns · free

😊

Glad

What made this sprint worth it?

10 prompts in this bucket

😔

Sad

What disappointed you?

10 prompts in this bucket

😡

Mad

What frustrated you this sprint?

10 prompts in this bucket

🤔

Wondering

What question do you wish someone would answer?

10 prompts in this bucket

Try another framework

Frameworks that pair well with Glad, Sad, Mad, Wondering.

Mad, Sad, Glad

Emotional check-in. Surfaces the stuff data can't see.

4Ls

Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed for. More texture than 3-column.

Lean Coffee

Open-agenda format. The team picks the topics in real time.

Or see all 10 retro frameworks.

About the Glad, Sad, Mad, Wondering retrospective

Glad, Sad, Mad, Wondering is the retrospective format that adds a curiosity dimension to the classic Mad, Sad, Glad. The first three columns work the same: surface what felt good, what disappointed, what frustrated. The Wondering column is where the format earns its name. It asks the team to surface the questions they've been carrying without asking out loud. What decision did we make and never quite understand? What are we assuming that we should test? What metric is missing that would change how we behave? Most of those questions never get raised in any other format, because no other format gives them a category. Use Glad, Sad, Mad, Wondering when the team is mature enough for emotional honesty (the Mad, Sad columns carry weight) and when you suspect there are questions the team has been quietly carrying that are worth naming. The Wondering column is the format's whole point. If you skip it, run Mad, Sad, Glad instead.

When Glad, Sad, Mad, Wondering is the right call

After a sprint where decisions felt unclear. After a re-org or strategy shift where the team has unspoken questions about what's actually changing. Mid-project, when assumptions made early are starting to feel shaky but no one has named that yet. Quarterly retros, where the Wondering column produces material for the next quarter's questions to investigate. Generally: any moment where you suspect the team has uncertainty floating that's shaping their work without being said.

Why the Wondering column matters

Most retros assume the team knows what's happening and is just reflecting on whether it went well. In practice, teams carry implicit questions for sprints at a time. 'Are we still building this for the customer we said?' 'Why did we abandon that approach last sprint?' 'What's actually our deadline?'. Naming those questions in a retro doesn't always answer them, but it converts ambient confusion into a list, which is the precondition for getting them answered later. The Wondering column is the format's main contribution to the retro tradition.

Glad, Sad, Mad, Wondering versus Mad, Sad, Glad

Mad, Sad, Glad is purely emotional. Glad, Sad, Mad, Wondering keeps the emotional content but adds a cognitive surface. Use Mad, Sad, Glad when feelings are the whole point and the team needs space to be heard. Use Glad, Sad, Mad, Wondering when feelings need surfacing and there's also something the team isn't sure about that's worth naming. The Wondering column changes the meeting from a feelings check-in into an inquiry.

Common mistakes with Glad, Sad, Mad, Wondering

First: rushing Wondering at the end because time is tight. The Wondering column needs at least a third of the meeting or it doesn't earn its place. Plan time accordingly. Second: trying to answer the Wonderings in the meeting. Most can't be answered there. Capture them, assign one to investigate, and let the rest sit until the next retro. Third: treating Wondering as an open-mic for ideas. The column is for genuine uncertainty, not for proposals. Coach the team on the difference.

Frequently asked

How is Wondering different from Lacked in 4Ls?: Lacked is a present-tense gap that needs filling. Wondering is a present-tense uncertainty that needs investigating. 'We Lacked a sign-off process' versus 'We're Wondering whether we still have the right sign-off process'. Lacked tends to produce action items. Wondering tends to produce questions to take into the next sprint.
Should we try to answer the Wonderings in the meeting?: Mostly no. The point of the Wondering column is to name the questions, not to resolve them. Resolving them in the meeting tends to produce hasty answers that don't survive. Pick one Wondering to investigate properly before the next retro and let the rest sit on the list.
Is this just Mad, Sad, Glad with one extra column?: Mechanically yes, but the Wondering column changes the meeting's shape. Mad, Sad, Glad is a feelings check-in. Glad, Sad, Mad, Wondering is a feelings check-in plus an inquiry. The two formats produce different kinds of conversation, even though three of the four columns look identical.
What goes in Wondering versus what goes in Sad?: Sad is something you wanted that didn't happen. Wondering is something you don't know whether you wanted at all. 'I'm Sad we didn't ship the dashboard' versus 'I'm Wondering whether the dashboard is still the right thing to be building'. The Wondering version is harder to surface and more valuable.
Can we run it without the team having Wonderings?: Run Mad, Sad, Glad instead. If the team genuinely has no questions floating, the Wondering column becomes filler and the format loses its point. Don't force it.

When not to use it

New teams or teams without enough trust to surface emotional content yet. The Mad and Sad columns require the same psychological safety as Mad, Sad, Glad. Build the trust with Rose, Bud, Thorn first.

How to run a Glad, Sad, Mad, Wondering retro

1Block 50 minutes. The format is heavier than Mad, Sad, Glad because the Wondering column always pulls real conversation.
2Open with the same psychological-safety framing as Mad, Sad, Glad: 'we're naming what's true, not assigning blame'.
3Show all four prompts. Five minutes of silent writing per column, in the order Glad, Sad, Mad, Wondering. Wondering last on purpose because it benefits from the warm-up.
4Discuss Glad first. Names matter. Specifics matter. Build the trust the harder columns will spend.
5Discuss Sad and Mad together if items overlap. They often do.
6Spend the most time on Wondering. It's the format's secret weapon: the column where the team finally names the question that's been quietly shaping decisions for sprints.
7Identify one Wondering worth investigating before the next retro. Owner assigned. Send the recap in Slack within the hour, with the Wondering preserved verbatim.