Most retrospectives end as a list of complaints that nobody reads again. This document keeps the value where it belongs: findings grouped by theme, the root cause behind each one, and recommendations that carry a named owner and a due date. It runs over eight pages, from an answer-first summary to a RACI of who decides and who does.

The sample follows a pump station upgrade delivered by Marlowe Green Engineering, which finished 4.5% over budget after five late deliveries, three of them traced to an 18-day design sign-off against a plan of 7. Replace the project, figures, lessons and names with your own, and delete any recommendation you will not act on.