Squad Health Check Card Deck by Henrik Kniberg

The Squad Health check deck is a great tool for managers and leaders to foster high-performing, autonomous teams. Originating from Spotify's engineering practices, the Squad Health Check model provides a structured way for teams to assess themselves across multiple dimensions, including code quality, team morale, and alignment with organisational goals.

Our deck consists of 14 themes / areas for the teams to discuss and 6 sets of 3 traffic light cards to enable the team members rate the cards based on their perception of how the team is performing in each area. The goal is to spark discussion and reflection on areas where the team can improve and to celebrate strengths. 

Why do the Squad Health Check?

• Enhanced Team Self-Awareness: The deck facilitates discussions on multiple aspects such as code quality, team morale, and customer value, helping squads openly discuss their current state, fostering a shared understanding of what’s working and what needs attention.

• Drives Team Empowerment: Promotes ownership of team health and fosters a proactive mindset for addressing challenges.

• Actionable Insights for Leadership: By aggregating health check results, managers and leaders can visualize patterns across teams, allowing for informed decision-making and targeted support where it's most needed, while respecting the autonomy of teams.

Implementing the Squad Health Check Deck empowers teams to take ownership of their development while providing leadership with the clarity to guide strategic improvements effectively.

Intelligent use of colours and emoji mean this deck is accessible to most people with colour perception difficulties such as protanopia, deuteranopia and achromatopsia.

For more information about the game and how to use the cards on a video call 🎧, click here: Squad Health Check Model

Custom decks

We can help create custom versions of the deck to suit your needs. Contact us on games@agilestationery.co.uk to discuss your requirements.