Retrospective Analysis Skill
Generate a data-grounded retrospective brief that separates facts from feelings, so the team spends retro time on solutions rather than debating what happened.
Required Inputs
Ask the user for these if not provided:
- Sprint tickets: planned vs. completed
- Carry-over tickets and reasons (if known)
- Tickets reopened after closing (quality signal)
- Any incidents or unplanned work (scope creep signal)
- Sprint velocity vs. historical average (trend context)
Process
- Calculate: completion rate, carry-over rate, unplanned work percentage
- Identify patterns: which ticket types were most likely to carry over? Which caused blockers?
- Note any process or communication breakdowns visible in the data
- Prepare 3 "Start / Stop / Continue" prompts based on the data — not generic, specific to this sprint
- Suggest 1 concrete experiment for the next sprint based on the biggest friction point
- Validate — Confirm each prompt is specific to this sprint (not a recycled generic prompt), and that the recommended experiment is concrete and measurable
Output Structure
Sprint [Number] Retrospective Brief
By the Numbers:
- Planned: [n] tickets | Completed: [n] | Carry-over: [n] | Completion rate: [%]
- Unplanned work: [n] tickets ([%] of capacity)
- Velocity: [points] vs. [average] average
What the Data Suggests: [2-3 observations grounded in the numbers above]
Discussion Prompts:
- Start: [specific prompt based on this sprint's data]
- Stop: [specific prompt based on this sprint's data]
- Continue: [specific prompt based on this sprint's data]
Suggested Experiment for Next Sprint: [One concrete, testable process change — with a specific success metric]
Quality Checks
- Each Start/Stop/Continue prompt names a specific behaviour, not a vague category
- The recommended experiment is testable in one sprint
- Carry-over analysis identifies the ticket type or cause, not just the count
- Data observations don't assign blame — they describe patterns
- Velocity trend is mentioned in context (is this a one-off or a pattern?)
Anti-Patterns
- Do not assign blame to individuals in the retrospective brief — observations must describe patterns, not people
- Do not produce Start/Stop/Continue prompts that are vague categories — each must name a specific behaviour
- Do not recommend an experiment that cannot be completed within one sprint — small, testable experiments only
- Do not treat carry-over tickets as a velocity problem without first identifying the root cause category
- Do not run the same retrospective format every sprint — vary the format to prevent engagement fatigue