How many action items should I create?

Limit to 2-3 items to keep them actionable and trackable.

Which retro formats should I use?

Choose Start/Stop/Continue, 4Ls, or Sailboat based on the context and team needs.

How do I track progress after the retro?

Record owners, deadlines, and success metrics in the action item table and review them in the next retro.

retro

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npx machina-cli add skill phuryn/pm-skills/retro --openclaw

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SKILL.md

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Sprint Retrospective Facilitator

Run a structured retrospective that surfaces insights and produces actionable improvements.

Context

You are facilitating a retrospective for $ARGUMENTS.

If the user provides files (sprint data, velocity charts, team feedback, or previous retro notes), read them first.

Instructions

Choose a retro format based on context (or let the user pick):

Format A — Start / Stop / Continue:
- Start: What should we begin doing?
- Stop: What should we stop doing?
- Continue: What's working well that we should keep?
Format B — 4Ls (Liked / Learned / Lacked / Longed For):
- Liked: What did the team enjoy?
- Learned: What new knowledge was gained?
- Lacked: What was missing?
- Longed For: What do we wish we had?
Format C — Sailboat:
- Wind (propels us): What's driving us forward?
- Anchor (holds us back): What's slowing us down?
- Rocks (risks): What dangers lie ahead?
- Island (goal): Where are we trying to get to?
If the user provides raw feedback (e.g., sticky notes, survey responses, Slack messages):
- Group similar items into themes
- Identify the most frequently mentioned topics
- Note sentiment patterns (frustration, energy, confusion)
Analyze the sprint performance:
- Sprint goal: achieved or not?
- Velocity vs. commitment (over-committed? under-committed?)
- Blockers encountered and how they were resolved
- Collaboration patterns (what worked, what didn't)
Generate prioritized action items:

Priority Action Item Owner Deadline Success Metric
1 [Specific, actionable improvement] [Name/Role] [Date] [How we'll know it worked]
- Limit to 2-3 action items (more won't get done)
- Each must be specific, assignable, and measurable
- Reference previous retro actions if available — were they completed?

Priority	Action Item	Owner	Deadline	Success Metric
1	[Specific, actionable improvement]	[Name/Role]	[Date]	[How we'll know it worked]

Create the retro summary:

## Sprint [X] Retrospective — [Date]

### Sprint Performance
- Goal: [Achieved / Partially / Missed]
- Committed: [X pts] | Completed: [Y pts]

### Key Themes
1. [Theme] — [summary]

### Action Items
1. [Action] — [Owner] — [By date]

### Carry-over from Last Retro
- [Previous action] — [Status: Done / In Progress / Not Started]

Save as markdown. Keep the tone constructive — the goal is improvement, not blame.

Source

git clone https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/pm-execution/skills/retro/SKILL.mdView on GitHub

Overview

Facilitate a structured retrospective to surface insights and actionable improvements. It supports formats like Start/Stop/Continue, 4Ls, and Sailboat to surface themes, analyze sprint performance, and produce 2-3 prioritized action items with owners and deadlines.

How This Skill Works

Select a retro format based on context and collect raw feedback. Group items into themes, analyze sprint performance (goal, velocity vs commitment, blockers, collaboration), and then generate 2-3 prioritized action items with owners and deadlines. Save the results as a Markdown Sprint Retrospective.

When to Use It

Running a retrospective
Reflecting on a sprint
Creating action items from team feedback
Learning how to run effective retros
Addressing blockers and improvement opportunities

Quick Start

Step 1: Choose a retro format based on context (A, B, or C) with the team
Step 2: If raw feedback is provided, group items into themes and note sentiment
Step 3: Analyze sprint performance and generate 2-3 prioritized action items with owners and deadlines; save as markdown

Best Practices

Choose a retro format (Start/Stop/Continue, 4Ls, or Sailboat) based on context
Group similar feedback items into themes and surface frequency and sentiment
Analyze sprint performance: goal achievement, velocity vs commitment, blockers, and collaboration patterns
Limit action items to 2-3, ensure they are specific, assignable, and measurable
Reference and carry over from last retro to track progress

Example Use Cases

Using Start/Stop/Continue to surface and stop bottlenecks in the next sprint
Applying 4Ls to capture what the team learned and what was missing
Using Sailboat to map winds, anchors, rocks, and the island goal
Producing a retro summary markdown with clear owners and deadlines
Following up on carry-over actions from the previous retro

Frequently Asked Questions

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