PLUS-DELTA
Updated 2026-08-11
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
PLUS-DELTA is a lightweight retrospective format with two columns. Plus records what went well and should be preserved. Delta records what the team wants to change, phrased as a change rather than as a fault. The choice of the word delta is deliberate: it frames the second column as an adjustment to make rather than a failure to assign, which lowers the defensiveness that a column labeled problems tends to provoke. The format suits short review sessions where a full structured retrospective would be disproportionate. It assumes participants can describe what happened and separate observation from judgment.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Use plus column: name the practices that worked so they survive the next cycle. - Use delta framing: describe what to change rather than what went wrong. - Use action conversion: turn each delta into an owner and a next step before closing.
Anchor fast decisions
Review sessions that list only problems trigger attribution and self-protection, which reduces the accuracy of what gets reported. Opening with what worked establishes that the session is not an audit, which makes the second column safer to fill. Labeling the second column as change rather than fault shifts the question from who caused this to what should be different, and the answer to the second question is actionable. The format's brevity also keeps the session from drifting into extended debate.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- sessionlab.comhttps://sessionlab.com/methods/plus-deltaverified
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