KALM (Keep / Add / Less / More)
Less is Stop with the volume turned down. That's the whole format.
Four columns — Keep, Add, Less, More. Structurally identical to Start/Stop/Continue with one swap and one addition: 'Less' replaces 'Stop' (softer), and 'More' is the new column. The softness is the point and the cost. Run it for teams that aren't ready to call something out by name yet.
When to use
New team, fragile team, recent reorg, or any sprint where 'Stop' would close a door someone needs left ajar. Skip it for teams that can already run SSC — KALM is the training-wheels version, and running it on a team that's ready for SSC trains them to keep flinching. Skip it if 'More' would be the only column with cards (then you ran a satisfaction survey, not a retro).
How it runs
Four columns
Keep, Add, Less, More. Order matters less here than in Mad/Sad/Glad, but read them Keep-Less-Add-More — Keep grounds, Less surfaces friction, Add and More go forward.
Silent write, six minutes
Same as SSC. The senior person writes last. Without silent writing the loudest voice frames every column.
Cluster and read out
Group duplicates per column. Read each column out loud, even the cards already grouped — owning a card aloud is part of the format.
Spend the time on Less
Less is where the work hides. Add is energising and easy. Keep is reassurance. More is often filler. The Less column has the cards the team almost wrote as 'Stop' and didn't dare — those are the ones to dig into.
Pick one Less and one Add
Two commitments, named owners, deadlines. Don't pick from More — More cards drift without a forcing function and you'll see the same card next sprint.
Why it works
The vocabulary changes the cards you get. 'Stop' demands a yes/no — somebody decided this thing should not happen anymore. 'Less' permits gradient — somebody thinks this thing happens too often without claiming it should never happen. Different question, different answers. KALM trades the action-forcing edge of SSC for entries the team will actually write down. Whether that trade pays off depends on the team.
Variations
- Drop the More column. It's the column most likely to fill with feel-good filler ('more pair programming', 'more recognition'). Three columns — Keep, Add, Less — is often the sharper version.
- Run it once as KALM, then SSC the next sprint. The format swap shows the team what 'Stop' sounds like once they're warmed up.
- Promote a Less card to a Stop after a few sprints. Naming the upgrade explicitly is the team graduating off the training wheels.
Facilitator notes
Watch the More column. If it's the largest, the team is using KALM to avoid the harder columns; reset by asking 'what would you write here if you had to pick a Less instead?' The Less column should be at least as full as Add — if it isn't, you got a satisfaction survey.
Pitfalls
- Treating Less as a softer Add. Less is about reducing what already happens; Add is about introducing what doesn't. People conflate them and the columns blur.
- Letting More become a wishlist. Either tag every More card with an owner or drop the column.
- Running KALM forever. It's a bridge format. After three or four sprints, switch to SSC or you've trained the team to soften everything.
- Reading Keep first as a victory lap. Three minutes maximum.
Remote tips
Async-first like SSC — open the board 24 hours before the call. The Less column especially benefits from overnight thinking; people remember things on day two they wouldn't have surfaced live.
Example outputs
- Less: status updates in standup. Three sentences each, not three paragraphs.
- Less: ad-hoc Slack threads about ticket scope — those go in the ticket.
- Add: a 15-minute design check before tickets get pulled into a sprint.
- Keep: the Tuesday sync. It's the one meeting people defend.
FAQ
- Should I run KALM or Start/Stop/Continue?
- Run SSC if your team can name something to Stop. Run KALM if 'Stop' feels confrontational and the team isn't there yet. KALM is the training-wheels version; SSC is the upgrade. After a few KALM sprints, try SSC — if the team can run it, don't go back.
- What about the More column? Is it useful?
- Sometimes. More is the column most likely to fill with filler ('more pairing', 'more recognition') that nobody owns. If More is the largest column at the end of the silent write, you're running a satisfaction survey, not a retro. Either force owners on each More card or drop the column.