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WorkshopAny teamRetrospectives

Rose, bud, thorn

30 minutes 6 blocksFree Free template

A gentle reflection board: highlights, budding ideas and pain points from everyone's phone, ending with one bud to grow and one thorn to pull.

Use this template See inside

Free to use and to run live. No card needed.

Share
Rose
A highlight or a win
Bud
An idea or something just starting
Thorn
A challenge or a pain point

In short

Rose, bud, thorn is a reflection exercise: a rose is a highlight, a bud is an idea or something just starting, and a thorn is a challenge. This template puts the three on a live board people fill from their phones, adds dot voting and runs a 30-minute agenda that ends with one bud to grow and one thorn to remove.
Time
30 minutes
People
3 to 40
Board
3 columns, 3 dots each
Plan
Free

Updated October 4, 2026

What's inside

The agenda

By the end of this meeting, everyone has been heard, and we've picked one bud to grow and one thorn to remove.

30 min · 6 blocks, drawn to scale Fits exactly
  1. One word for this stretch of time, 3 minutes 3
  2. Roses, buds and thorns, 8 minutesBrainstorm 8
  3. Group and dot-vote, 4 minutes 4
  4. Roses first, then thorns, then buds, 9 minutesDiscuss 9
  5. Water one bud, pull one thorn, 4 minutes 4
  6. Read back the bud and the thorn, 2 minutes 2
08152330 min
  1. +0′One word for this stretch of timeOne word for this week (or term, or project)3 minCheck-in
  2. +3′Roses, buds and thornsTip: Everyone writes from their phone. Names don't show on the board, which helps with honest thorns, especially in classrooms.8 minBrainstorm
  3. +11′Group and dot-voteTip: Three dots each, on the buds and thorns that matter most.4 minDiscuss
  4. +15′Roses first, then thorns, then budsTip: Start with roses to set the tone. Thorns next. End on buds: they turn into actions most naturally.9 minDiscuss
  5. +24′Water one bud, pull one thornTip: Pick one bud to grow and one thorn to remove, each with an owner. In a classroom, the class can own them together.4 minDecide
  6. +28′Read back the bud and the thorn2 minWrap-up

How to run it

  1. 1Explain the three in one line each: rose is a highlight, bud is a budding idea, thorn is a pain point.
  2. 2Let everyone write from their phone at once. Names don't appear on the board.
  3. 3Dot-vote, then talk through roses, thorns and buds in that order.
  4. 4Leave with one bud to grow and one thorn to pull, each with an owner.

Questions people ask

What is rose bud thorn?
A design thinking reflection exercise. People share a rose (something positive), a bud (a new idea or potential) and a thorn (something difficult). It works for retros, project debriefs and classrooms.
What's the difference between rose and thorn and rose bud thorn?
Rose and thorn is the two-part version: a high and a low. Adding the bud asks for ideas or hopes, which gives the group something to act on.
How do you use highs and lows with a group?
Ask everyone for one high and one low, collect them where all can see, then talk about the patterns. Rose, bud, thorn is the same idea with ideas added.

Run it with your group

Free
  • Ideas land on the board from every phone, then dot-vote
  • A timer for every block on the shared screen
  • Results, decisions and actions in the summary
Use this template

Free to use and to run live. No card needed.

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Open it, make it yours, run it live.

Change anything in the editor. When you're ready, press Present: everyone joins with a scan and answers on their phone.

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