👉 [Download the Starfish Model worksheet here]

During the session, move through the five areas and their guiding questions one by one. Prepare a board, whiteboard, or print our worksheet before starting. Go through each area with the team individually and note down every opinion — either on paper or as post-its on the board.

As with any group activity, explain the method first. Make sure everyone understands the five areas and how long the reflection will take (30–60 minutes depending on team size). Once expectations are clear, you can start the Starfish.

The five key areas are:
Continue – Useful activities the team is doing well.
Do Less Of – Activities losing their value that should be done less often.
Do More Of – Valuable activities that should be done more often.
Stop – Activities that no longer bring benefit and should be stopped completely.
Start – New ideas that could bring value to the team or project.

Brainstorming

Spend 10–15 minutes reflecting on the last project. Each idea about what to continue, start, stop, do more of, or do less of should be written on its own note. Keep ideas private at this stage to avoid groupthink and let every voice stay authentic.

Clustering

When the notes are ready, it’s time to discover patterns. Similar or identical ideas can be grouped into themes. A high number of notes means there’s a wealth of ideas for improving effectiveness.

Discussion

This is the most valuable part. Allow 20–40 minutes depending on the volume of ideas. If needed, set time for each theme to ensure nothing is rushed. Discuss what needs to be done more or less, what to start, stop, or continue — and assign clear actions and responsibilities so changes can start immediately.

If your team struggles to focus its energy, the Starfish Model is worth a try. Use it at your next meeting, feedback session, or retrospective, and you’ll see your goals and improvement opportunities align.

Want to see how this works in practice? Try the Starfish Model at your next team session and share the results with us.