Session Overview

This webinar shows how to use a structured retrospective (retro) process combined with mind mapping to capture lessons, surface insights, and drive course corrections in projects. Sathyanand explains why retro matters in the project management cycle and demonstrates performing retrospectives with Xmind mind mapping to visualize wins, failures, improvements and things to stop.

The session focuses on practical steps: a KWL exercise to surface prior knowledge and learning goals, a template for retro by mind mapping, and a live demo. The presenter emphasizes using Xmind mind mapping for better visualization, grouping, and emergent ideas during retrospectives.

You’ll Learn

• How to run a KWL exercise to capture what you Know, Want to know, and Learnt during a workshop or project.

• A four-question retrospective template: Wins, Fails, Improve, Stop to structure review conversations.

• How to perform retro using mind mapping to visualize the review on a single canvas with Xmind.

• How mind mapping helps reorganize and regroup ideas quickly during team retrospectives.

• How to use retrospectives for different cadences: daily standups, weekly reviews, quarterly and annual reflections.

Workflow at a Glance

• Start with a KWL mind map: central node labeled KWL, branches for Know, Want, Learn.

• Create a central retro map with four branches: Wins (what went well), Fails (what went wrong), Improve, Stop.

• Collect individual inputs on the canvas, then group and move nodes to reveal patterns and new ideas.

• Use the visual map to decide course corrections and capture lessons for future planning and quarterly reviews.

Pro Tips

• Do weekly reviews to feed quarterly planning; weekly retrospectives create actionable knowledge for the next cycle.

• Use Xmind to zoom out and see the whole canvas, then zoom into branches for detail and grouping.

• Encourage team members to add separate maps and then merge or connect sheets to surface emergent insights.

• Treat retrospectives as reflection, not blame; focus on lessons learned and course correction.

Who It’s For

Project managers, team leads, solo creators, and anyone running reviews or learning cycles who want a visual, collaborative way to run retrospectives and capture actionable lessons using mind mapping and Xmind.

Resources Mentioned

• Xmind Online

• Xmind app download

• Xmind Blog

• Xmind.works and Xmind community channels such as Discord and social accounts