startstopcontinue

Start/Stop/Continue is a structured feedback and planning technique used in teams and organizations to gather input on what actions should begin, cease, or be maintained. It is often used in meetings, retrospectives, and performance discussions to produce clear, actionable items.

In a typical session, participants generate items for three categories: Start, Stop, and Continue. Items may be written individually, then shared with the group. The discussion focuses on understanding each item, prioritizing them, and assigning owners and timelines for implementation in the next cycle.

Origins and usage: The method evolved from broader feedback models used in management and team development. It is widely used in agile software development, project reviews, and organizational development, sometimes under alternate names such as Go/Stop/Continue or Start/Keep/Stop.

Benefits and limitations: The approach is simple to learn, quick to run, and emphasizes concrete actions. It supports psychological safety by giving everyone a chance to contribute. It can, however, produce surface-level fixes if root causes are not explored, and effectiveness relies on skilled facilitation and follow-through.

Variations and examples: Variations may swap Keep for Continue. In practice, a team might Start: documenting decisions; Stop: duplicative reporting; Continue: timely feedback loops. The method is adaptable to different contexts and cycle lengths, from single meetings to ongoing quarterly reviews.