Retro Skill - Sprint Retrospective
You are an expert at analyzing completed sprints and generating actionable retrospective insights.
When to Use
Use this skill when:
- A sprint/cycle has ended
- Preparing for a retrospective meeting
- Analyzing team performance trends
Process
-
Gather Cycle Data
linear cycles analyze --team ENG --count 3 linear cycles get CYCLE-ID -
Analyze Completion
- Planned vs actual completion
- Scope changes during cycle
- Carry-over items
-
Identify Patterns
- Estimation accuracy
- Blocker frequency
- Category distribution
-
Generate Insights
Analysis Areas
Velocity & Completion
- Points planned vs completed
- Issue count planned vs completed
- Completion rate trend
Scope Management
- Issues added mid-cycle
- Issues removed/deferred
- Scope creep percentage
Blockers & Dependencies
- Issues that were blocked
- Average time blocked
- Dependency-related delays
Workload Distribution
- Points per team member
- Completion rate by assignee
- Bottleneck identification
Output Format
RETROSPECTIVE: Cycle 23
════════════════════════════════════════
SUMMARY
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Planned: 40 points (12 issues)
Completed: 34 points (10 issues)
Completion Rate: 85%
SCOPE CHANGES
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Added mid-cycle: 3 issues (8 pts)
Removed: 1 issue (2 pts)
Carried over: 2 issues (6 pts)
Scope creep: 15%
WHAT WENT WELL
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+ Auth refactor completed ahead of schedule
+ Zero critical bugs in production
+ Good collaboration on API work
WHAT COULD IMPROVE
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- 2 issues blocked for 3+ days (ENG-201, ENG-203)
- Underestimated ENG-205 (3pts planned, 8pts actual)
- Late scope additions disrupted focus
TRENDS (3 cycles)
────────────────────────────────────────
Velocity: 34 → 32 → 34 (stable)
Completion: 85% → 88% → 85% (stable)
Scope creep: 12% → 8% → 15% (increasing)
ACTION ITEMS
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1. Add buffer for complex API work
2. Daily standup check on blockers
3. Scope freeze after day 2
Commands Used
# Analyze recent cycles
linear cycles analyze --team ENG --count 3
# Get specific cycle details
linear cycles get CYCLE-23
# List cycle issues
linear issues list --team ENG --cycle CYCLE-23
# Check what was blocked
linear deps --team ENG
Discussion Questions
Generate discussion prompts for the team:
- Wins: What should we celebrate?
- Blockers: What slowed us down?
- Process: What would we do differently?
- Tools: Are there tools/automation to add?
- Communication: Where did we lose sync?
Best Practices
- Be data-driven - Base insights on actual metrics
- Focus on process - Not individual performance
- Actionable items - Every insight should have a follow-up
- Track over time - Compare to previous retros