Impact Scan | Notion

Purpose

To reflect on the environmental and social impacts of work completed in a sprint, and to identify quick improvements or follow‑up actions.

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Use this tool:

At the end of a sprint, during the retrospective
Before shipping a major release
As part of a regular technical health review

You'll get:

A structured way to spot high‑impact decisions or missed opportunities
Quick wins to add into the next sprint
A record of recurring issues to address over time </aside>

Getting started

Set aside 10–15 minutes in your retro or review session.
Look at recently completed work.
Ask the relevant prompts from the list below.
Capture one or two improvements to bring into the next sprint.

Prompt list

Area	Questions to ask
Experience design	Can the same outcome be achieved with fewer steps or interactions? Are we adding features users didn’t ask for?
Interface and front‑end	Are we loading assets or scripts before they are needed? Are we using heavy frameworks where lighter options would work?
Data and APIs	Are we making unnecessary or duplicate API calls? Could we cache results?
Libraries and packages	Are we carrying unused or bloated dependencies? Could a smaller library or built‑in function do the same job?
Infrastructure	Are environments running when they are not needed? Could we scale down or switch off in low‑usage periods?
Default behaviours	Do our defaults add unnecessary load (e.g. high‑res images for all users)? Could we offer a low‑impact default instead?
Real‑world behaviours	Could this feature influence a positive action outside the product (e.g. reduced travel, shared resources, energy‑saving habits)?

Tips

Avoid trying to fix everything at once — focus on one or two changes per sprint.
Use [Impact Tags] to flag follow‑up work if you can't act immediately.
Share both the positives and the issues so the team can see the benefits of the changes.
Check for trade‑offs; consider any knock‑on effects for accessibility, usability, or security.