| name | rfst - Reflection Stage |
| description | Learns from completed work by comparing outcomes to expectations, identifying what worked and what didn't, extracting transferable lessons, and updating beliefs. |
| output | {"format":"prose"} |
Reflection Stage
Input: $ARGUMENTS
Step 1: Compare Outcome to Expectation
Start with the gap between what was expected and what happened.
OUTCOME COMPARISON:
- Original goal: [what we set out to do]
- Expected outcome: [what we thought would happen]
- Actual outcome: [what actually happened]
- Gap: [where expectation and reality diverged]
- Gap direction: [better than expected / worse than expected / different than expected]
Rule: Be specific. "It went okay" is not a comparison. Use concrete details.
Step 2: Identify What Worked
Catalog the things that went well and why.
WHAT WORKED:
1. [thing that worked]:
- Why it worked: [causal explanation, not just correlation]
- Repeatable: [yes/no — can this be done again deliberately?]
- Transferable: [yes/no — does this apply to other situations?]
2. [thing that worked]:
- Why it worked: [causal explanation]
- Repeatable: [yes/no]
- Transferable: [yes/no]
3. [thing that worked]:
- Why it worked: [causal explanation]
- Repeatable: [yes/no]
- Transferable: [yes/no]
Step 3: Identify What Didn't Work
Catalog failures and problems without blame.
WHAT DIDN'T WORK:
1. [thing that failed]:
- Why it failed: [root cause, not symptoms]
- Predictable: [yes/no — could we have seen this coming?]
- Preventable: [yes/no — could we have avoided it?]
- Cost: [what the failure cost — time, money, quality, trust]
2. [thing that failed]:
- Why it failed: [root cause]
- Predictable: [yes/no]
- Preventable: [yes/no]
- Cost: [what it cost]
Rule: Focus on systems and processes, not people. "The review process missed it" not "Bob missed it."
Step 4: Extract Transferable Lessons
Pull out lessons that apply beyond this specific situation.
LESSONS LEARNED:
1. [Lesson]: [one-sentence principle]
- Evidence: [what happened that taught this]
- Applies to: [what other situations this lesson covers]
- Action: [concrete change to make going forward]
2. [Lesson]: [one-sentence principle]
- Evidence: [what happened]
- Applies to: [other situations]
- Action: [concrete change]
3. [Lesson]: [one-sentence principle]
- Evidence: [what happened]
- Applies to: [other situations]
- Action: [concrete change]
Rule: A lesson without an action is just an observation. Every lesson must produce a change.
Step 5: Update Beliefs
Explicitly state how this experience changes your understanding.
BELIEF UPDATES:
| Before | After | Confidence |
|--------|-------|------------|
| I believed [X] | Now I believe [Y] | [high/medium/low] |
| I assumed [X] | Now I know [Y] | [high/medium/low] |
| I expected [X] | Evidence shows [Y] | [high/medium/low] |
SKIP: If no beliefs changed, state that explicitly — it may mean the reflection isn't deep enough.
Step 6: Decide What to Do Differently
Commit to specific changes for next time.
CHANGES FOR NEXT TIME:
1. STOP: [something to stop doing]
- Because: [what happened when we did it]
2. START: [something to start doing]
- Because: [what we learned that motivates this]
3. CONTINUE: [something to keep doing]
- Because: [evidence that it works]
4. MODIFY: [something to adjust]
- From: [current approach]
- To: [adjusted approach]
- Because: [what we learned]
Step 7: Reflection Summary
Distill everything into a compact takeaway.
REFLECTION SUMMARY:
What happened: [one sentence]
Key win: [single most important success]
Key lesson: [single most important learning]
Key change: [single most important thing to do differently]
Integration
Use with:
/exst -> Reflect after execution is complete/ornt -> Use reflection to orient on the next challenge/kta -> If reflection reveals errors in thinking, capture key takeaways/rmm -> If reflection uncovers mistakes worth documenting
