| name | retrospective |
| model | opus |
| description | Produces a Retrospective Document with structured reflection (what went well, what was hard, what to change) and seeds for the memory garden. Use when: 'do a retrospective', 'what did we learn from this sprint', 'reflect on this release', 'harvest the learnings', 'what went well and what was hard'. |
| category | continuous-learning |
| triggers | ["do a retrospective","what did we learn from this sprint","reflect on this release","harvest the learnings","what went well and what was hard"] |
| tier | 1 |
| agents | ["primary"] |
| tool_dependencies | ["file_system"] |
| inputs | [{"name":"context","type":"string","description":"Description of the sprint, release, or session to reflect on","required":false}] |
| outputs | [{"name":"retrospective_document","type":"ref","format":"cas-ref","description":"Retrospective Document with structured reflection (what went well, what was hard, what to change) and memory garden seeds"}] |
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.
- What went well? (What should we amplify?)
- What was hard? (What were the sources of friction or difficulty?)
- 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.
