Reviewing Progress

Reviewing Progress

Overview

Assess progress toward an open-ended goal by reading iteration journals, summarizing achievements, identifying patterns, and suggesting next steps.

Core principle: Regular review reveals trends, validates strategy, and informs future direction.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• User runs /review-progress command
• User asks "how are we doing?" or "what's our progress?"
• Need to assess if current strategy is working
• Deciding whether to pivot approach
• Preparing report on goal status

Can be used:

• Mid-iteration (doesn't end current iteration)
• Standalone (no active iteration required)
• Anytime user wants status check

Quick Reference

Process

Step 1: Locate Goal

Find the goal directory:

# Use Glob to find goal
pattern: "autonomy/*/goal.md"

If multiple goals found:

• List goals and ask user which to review
• If only one goal, proceed with that one

If no goal found:

"No autonomy goal found in this project. Use `/start-iteration` to begin tracking an open-ended goal."

Step 2: Load Summary (if exists)

Check for summary.md:

# Use Read to load summary
file: "autonomy/[goal-name]/summary.md"

If summary exists:

• Read full content
• Note which iterations it covers
• Use as foundation for report

If summary doesn't exist:

• Will rely on reading iterations directly

Step 3: Load Recent Iterations

Dispatch journal-reader to load recent context:

Task tool with subagent_type: "autonomy:journal-reader"
Prompt: "Read all iteration files for goal '[goal-name]' (or last 5-10 if many exist).
        Extract:
        - Progress timeline
        - Completed work by iteration
        - Persistent blockers
        - Metric trends
        - Skills most frequently used
        - Strategic pivots"
Model: haiku

Wait for agent response with structured findings.

Step 4: Analyze Progress

Synthesize information from summary and journal-reader:

Calculate metrics:

• If goal tracks metrics: Starting value → Current value → % change
• Iteration count: How many iterations completed?
• Time elapsed: First iteration date → Latest iteration date

Identify patterns:

• Which types of work have been most common?
• Are there recurring blockers?
• Has strategy evolved or stayed consistent?
• Which skills/workflows used most frequently?

Assess trajectory:

• Is progress accelerating, steady, or slowing?
• Are recent iterations more or less productive?
• Is current approach working?

Flag concerns:

• Blockers appearing in multiple iterations (persistent issues)
• Metrics stagnating or declining
• Lack of clear recent progress
• Strategy thrashing (frequent pivots without validation)

Step 5: Present Report

Generate comprehensive progress report:

# Progress Report: [Goal Name]

**Report Date:** [Today's date]
**Goal Status:** Active
**Iterations Completed:** [N]
**Time Elapsed:** [First date] - [Latest date] ([X days/weeks/months])

---

## Goal Statement
[From goal.md]

---

## Progress Overview

### Key Metrics
| Metric | Starting | Current | Change |
|--------|----------|---------|--------|
| [Metric 1] | [Value] | [Value] | [+X% or -Y%] |
| [Metric 2] | [Value] | [Value] | [+X% or -Y%] |

### Timeline of Major Work
- **Iteration 1:** [Summary of work]
- **Iteration 2:** [Summary of work]
- **Iteration N:** [Summary of work]

### Completed Initiatives
✅ [Initiative 1]: [Outcome]
✅ [Initiative 2]: [Outcome]

### In Progress
🚧 [Initiative 3]: [Current state]

---

## Current State

### What's Working Well
- [Positive pattern 1]
- [Positive pattern 2]

### Current Blockers
- **[Blocker 1]:** [First appeared iteration X, still unresolved]
- **[Blocker 2]:** [Description and impact]

### Open Questions
- [Question 1]
- [Question 2]

---

## Analysis

### Strategic Evolution
[How has the approach changed over time?]
- Iteration 1-3: [Initial strategy]
- Iteration 4-6: [Pivot or continuation]
- Current: [Where we are now]

### Skills & Methods Most Used
- **[Skill/workflow]:** Used in [X] iterations for [purpose]
- **[Skill/workflow]:** Used in [Y] iterations for [purpose]

### Effectiveness Assessment
[Is the current approach working?]
- **Strengths:** [What's effective]
- **Weaknesses:** [What's not working]
- **Opportunities:** [What could be explored next]

---

## Recommendations

### Immediate Next Steps
1. [Specific action based on current state]
2. [Specific action based on blockers]

### Strategic Considerations
- [Consider pivot if X]
- [Double down on Y because Z]
- [Investigate new approach for A]

### Health Check
[Overall assessment: Is goal on track? Should strategy change? Is this goal still valuable?]

---

**This is an open-ended goal - continuous iteration and optimization expected.**

Important Notes

Mid-Iteration Review

If reviewing during active iteration:

• Include current iteration work in report
• Note that current iteration is in progress
• Don't write journal entry (that's ending-an-iteration's job)

Standalone Review

If no iteration active:

• Report based solely on journal history
• Suggest starting new iteration if next steps are clear

Frequency Recommendations

Suggest reviewing progress:

• Every 5 iterations (natural checkpoint)
• When considering strategy pivot
• Before major decisions
• If feeling lost or uncertain

Honesty in Assessment

Be honest:

• If metrics aren't improving, say so
• If approach isn't working, acknowledge it
• If goal seems stalled, flag it
• Don't sugarcoat to avoid disappointing user

Constructive:

• Always include specific next steps
• Suggest concrete changes if needed
• Identify what IS working to preserve

Common Mistakes

After Reviewing

Once review is complete:

• User has clear picture of progress
• Can decide: continue current path, pivot strategy, or pause goal
• Next iteration can incorporate review insights
• May identify need to update goal.md with new success criteria