# Retrospective

> Retrospective Skill

- Skill: `dojogenesis/retrospective` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add dojogenesis/retrospective`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/dojogenesis/retrospective/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: DojoGenesis (https://skillmd.com/u/dojogenesis)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/dojogenesis/retrospective

---


# Retrospective Skill

**Version:** 1.0  
**Created:** 2026-02-04  
**Author:** Manus AI  
**Purpose:** To provide a structured, repeatable process for conducting sprint retrospectives, harvesting learnings, and feeding them back into our collaborative practice.

---

## I. The Philosophy of the Harvest

A retrospective is not a post-mortem. It is not about blame or judgment. It is a **harvest**. After a season of hard work, we pause to gather the fruits of our labor—not just the features we shipped, but the wisdom we gained in the process. It is a practice of gratitude, honesty, and a commitment to continuous learning.

This skill turns the informal act of looking back into a formal ritual, ensuring that the valuable lessons from each sprint are not lost, but are instead integrated into our shared memory and future workflows.

---

## II. When to Use This Skill

-   **After a major release:** (e.g., after Dojo Genesis v0.0.25 is fully shipped)
-   **After a significant milestone:** (e.g., after completing a major refactor)
-   **When a project feels stuck or has encountered significant friction.**
-   **At regular intervals** (e.g., monthly) to maintain a cadence of reflection.

---

## III. The Retrospective Workflow

### Step 1: Initiate the Retrospective

When a trigger event occurs, state the intention to conduct a retrospective. Frame it as a positive and necessary part of the workflow.

**Example:** "Now that v0.0.25 is shipped, let's conduct a retrospective to harvest the learnings from this sprint. I'll use the Retrospective skill to guide us."

### Step 2: Create the Retrospective Document

Create a new markdown file in the relevant project's `docs/retrospectives/` directory (e.g., `/home/ubuntu/dojo-genesis/docs/retrospectives/v0.0.25_retrospective.md`). Use the template provided in Section IV of this skill.

### Step 3: Answer the Three Core Questions

Collaboratively, answer the three core questions of the retrospective. This should be a brainstorming phase. Capture all thoughts without judgment.

1.  **What went well?** (What should we amplify?)
2.  **What was hard?** (What were the sources of friction or difficulty?)
3.  **What would we do differently next time?** (What are the concrete, actionable changes we can make?)

### Step 4: Synthesize and Extract Learnings

Analyze the answers to the three questions and synthesize them into key themes and actionable insights. This is the most critical step.

-   **Identify Patterns:** Look for recurring themes across the different answers.
-   **Distill Actionable Insights:** For each theme, identify a concrete action that can be taken to improve the workflow.
-   **Create Seeds for the Memory Garden:** If a lesson is particularly profound or reusable, distill it into a Dojo Seed.

### Step 5: Commit and Share

Commit the completed retrospective document to the repository. Share the key findings and action items to ensure they are integrated into the next sprint's planning.

---

## IV. Retrospective Document Template

```markdown
# Retrospective: [Sprint/Release Name]

**Date:** [Date]
**Participants:** [e.g., Cruz, Manus]
**Context:** A reflection on the [Sprint/Release Name] sprint, which focused on [brief description of the sprint's goals].

---

## 1. The Three Core Questions

### What Went Well?

- *[Observation 1]*
- *[Observation 2]*
- *[Observation 3]*

### What Was Hard?

- *[Friction Point 1]*
- *[Friction Point 2]*
- *[Friction Point 3]*

### What Would We Do Differently Next Time?

- *[Actionable Suggestion 1]*
- *[Actionable Suggestion 2]*
- *[Actionable Suggestion 3]*

---

## 2. Key Themes & Insights

| Theme | Analysis | Action Item |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| **[Theme 1]** | [A summary of the observations related to this theme.] | [A concrete action to be taken in the next sprint.] |
| **[Theme 2]** | [A summary of the observations related to this theme.] | [A concrete action to be taken in the next sprint.] |
| **[Theme 3]** | [A summary of the observations related to this theme.] | [A concrete action to be taken in the next sprint.] |

---

## 3. Seeds for the Memory Garden

-   **Seed:** [Seed Name] — *Why it matters:* [Explanation] — *Revisit trigger:* [When to remember this lesson]

---

## 4. Closing

[A brief closing statement summarizing the key takeaway from the retrospective and expressing gratitude for the practice.]
```

---

## V. Best Practices

-   **Be Honest and Gentle:** The goal is learning, not blame.
-   **Focus on Process, Not People:** Analyze the workflow, not the individuals.
-   **Be Specific and Concrete:** Avoid vague statements. Use specific examples.
-   **End with Action:** Every retrospective should result in at least one concrete action item for the next sprint.
-   **Keep it Lightweight:** The process should feel energizing, not burdensome.

---

## Output

- A Retrospective Document saved to the project's `docs/retrospectives/` directory
- Named: `[sprint-or-release-name]_retrospective.md`
- Sections: Three Core Questions, Key Themes and Insights table, Seeds for Memory Garden, Closing
- At least one Action Item per theme that enters the next sprint's planning

---

## Examples

**Scenario 1:** "Do a retrospective on v0.3 ship" → Retrospective Document with What Went Well / What Was Hard / What Would We Do Differently, 3 themes with action items, and 1-2 memory garden seeds from the most reusable lessons

**Scenario 2:** "The project feels stuck, let's reflect" → Retrospective triggered mid-sprint, identifies friction source (a recurring integration bottleneck), synthesizes into an action item to fix the integration pattern, and seeds a lesson about early integration testing

---

## Edge Cases

- **Solo retrospective (no collaborators):** Run the three questions as a self-interview; treat your own perspective as a single data point and note where additional perspectives would change the synthesis
- **Retrospective immediately after a failure or conflict:** Lead with the "What Went Well" section first to establish psychological safety before surfacing friction
- **Too many themes identified (6+):** Cluster into 3 parent themes; sub-themes belong inside those clusters, not as separate rows

---

## Anti-Patterns

- Conducting a retrospective during a crisis or before the sprint is complete — retrospective requires a closed period to reflect on, not an open one
- Producing only a list of complaints without action items — every friction point must map to a concrete next step
- Conflating "what was hard" with "who was at fault" — retrospectives analyze process, never individuals
- Skipping the Seeds section when a lesson is particularly reusable — the seeds are how retrospective learning transfers to future sprints

---

## Quality Checklist

Before considering the retrospective complete:

- [ ] A closed sprint, release, or period is the subject (not an open one)
- [ ] All three core questions are answered with specific observations, not generalities
- [ ] Every friction point in "What Was Hard" maps to at least one action item in "What Would We Do Differently"
- [ ] Key Themes & Insights table is populated with at least one row
- [ ] Each theme has a concrete, assignable action item
- [ ] At least one Memory Garden Seed is proposed (if any lesson is reusable)
- [ ] Document is saved to `docs/retrospectives/` with the sprint or release name in the filename
- [ ] At least one action item is carried into the next sprint's planning

---

## Related Skills

- `debugging` — Use when a retrospective surfaces a recurring bug or error pattern that warrants systematic root-cause investigation
- `web-research` — Use when a retrospective identifies a knowledge gap that requires external research before the next sprint
- `seed-extraction` — Use after the retrospective to formally distill reusable insights from the Seeds section into the shared memory garden