When this skill is invoked:
Read the argument to determine whether this is a sprint retrospective (sprint-N ) or a milestone retrospective (milestone-name ).
Read the sprint or milestone plan from the appropriate location:
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Sprint plans: production/sprints/
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Milestone definitions: production/milestones/
Extract: planned tasks, estimated effort, owners, and goals.
Read the git log for the period covered by the sprint or milestone to understand what was actually committed and when.
Scan for completed and incomplete tasks by comparing the plan against actual deliverables. Check for:
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Tasks completed as planned
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Tasks completed but modified from the plan
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Tasks carried over (not completed)
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Tasks added mid-sprint (unplanned work)
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Tasks removed or descoped
Scan the codebase for TODO/FIXME trends:
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Count current TODO/FIXME/HACK comments
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Compare to previous sprint counts if available (check previous retrospectives)
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Note whether technical debt is growing or shrinking
Read previous retrospectives (if any) from production/sprints/ or production/milestones/ to check:
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Were previous action items addressed?
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Are the same problems recurring?
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How has velocity trended?
Generate the retrospective:
Retrospective: [Sprint N / Milestone Name]
Period: [Start Date] -- [End Date] Generated: [Date]
Metrics
| Metric | Planned | Actual | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tasks | [X] | [Y] | [+/- Z] |
| Completion Rate | -- | [Z%] | -- |
| Story Points / Effort Days | [X] | [Y] | [+/- Z] |
| Bugs Found | -- | [N] | -- |
| Bugs Fixed | -- | [N] | -- |
| Unplanned Tasks Added | -- | [N] | -- |
| Commits | -- | [N] | -- |
Velocity Trend
| Sprint | Planned | Completed | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| [N-2] | [X] | [Y] | [Z%] |
| [N-1] | [X] | [Y] | [Z%] |
| [N] (current) | [X] | [Y] | [Z%] |
Trend: [Increasing / Stable / Decreasing] [One sentence explaining the trend]
What Went Well
- [Observation backed by specific data or examples]
- [Another positive observation]
- [Recognize specific contributions or decisions that paid off]
What Went Poorly
- [Specific issue with measurable impact -- e.g., "Feature X took 5 days instead of estimated 2, blocking tasks Y and Z"]
- [Another issue with impact]
- [Do not assign blame -- focus on systemic causes]
Blockers Encountered
| Blocker | Duration | Resolution | Prevention |
|---|---|---|---|
| [What blocked progress] | [How long] | [How it was resolved] | [How to prevent recurrence] |
Estimation Accuracy
| Task | Estimated | Actual | Variance | Likely Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Most overestimated task] | [X] | [Y] | [+Z] | [Why] |
| [Most underestimated task] | [X] | [Y] | [-Z] | [Why] |
Overall estimation accuracy: [X%] of tasks within +/- 20% of estimate
[Analysis: Are we consistently over- or under-estimating? For which types of tasks? What adjustment should we apply?]
Carryover Analysis
| Task | Original Sprint | Times Carried | Reason | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Task that was not completed] | [Sprint N-X] | [N] | [Why] | [Complete / Descope / Redesign] |
Technical Debt Status
- Current TODO count: [N] (previous: [N])
- Current FIXME count: [N] (previous: [N])
- Current HACK count: [N] (previous: [N])
- Trend: [Growing / Stable / Shrinking]
- [Note any areas of concern]
Previous Action Items Follow-Up
| Action Item (from Sprint N-1) | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| [Previous action] | [Done / In Progress / Not Started] | [Context] |
Action Items for Next Iteration
| # | Action | Owner | Priority | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [Specific, measurable action] | [Who] | [High/Med/Low] | [When] |
| 2 | [Another action] | [Who] | [Priority] | [When] |
Process Improvements
- [Specific change to how we work, with expected benefit]
- [Another improvement -- keep it to 2-3 actionable items, not a wish list]
Summary
[2-3 sentence overall assessment: Was this a good sprint/milestone? What is the single most important thing to change going forward?]
Save the retrospective to the appropriate location:
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Sprint: production/sprints/sprint-[N]-retrospective.md
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Milestone: production/milestones/[milestone-name]-retrospective.md
Create the directory if it does not exist.
Output a summary to the user with: completion rate, velocity trend direction, top blocker, and the most important action item.
Guidelines
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Be honest and specific. Vague retrospectives ("communication could be better") produce vague improvements. Use data and examples.
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Focus on systemic issues, not individual blame.
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Limit action items to 3-5. More than that dilutes focus.
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Every action item must have an owner and a deadline.
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Check whether previous action items were completed. Recurring unaddressed items are a process smell.
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If this is a milestone retrospective, also evaluate whether the milestone goals were achieved and what that means for the overall project timeline.