Innovation Sprint: Review

A sprint review is the moment a team stops building, shows the work, and listens. It is not a grade — it is fuel. A good review tells you what already works, what is still confusing, and which one fix will help the most. In this lesson you will learn how to run a fair review and how to use feedback to make your next version stronger.

The Four-Check Rubric

Every prototype gets the same four checks. Using a rubric keeps reviews fair: every team is judged on the same things, not on who is loudest or has the prettiest slides.

1. Works — does the prototype actually run without breaking?
2. Clear — can someone new understand the idea in one minute?
3. Useful — does it solve a real problem for a real person?
4. Improve — what is one specific thing the team should fix next?

Kind, Specific, Useful Feedback

Feedback is a gift only if it is kind, specific, and useful. "It is bad" hurts and helps nothing. "The login button never reacted when I clicked it on phone size" is gold. Aim for sentences a teammate can act on in five minutes.

• Kind — talk about the work, not the person; assume good effort.
• Specific — name the exact button, screen, or step you mean.
• Useful — suggest one concrete change, not a long wishlist.
• Balanced — pair every wish with at least one star.

Stars, Wishes, Next Steps

After the review, the team reflects. The stars-wishes-next-steps grid turns raw feedback into a plan. Stars celebrate what worked. Wishes capture what the audience asked for. Next steps pick ONE thing to fix first and name who owns it.

• Stars — at least three things the team should keep doing.
• Wishes — three concrete improvements the audience asked for.
• Next steps — one small fix the team commits to before the next sprint.
• Owner and deadline — every next step needs a name and a date.