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reviewing-progress

Use when user wants to assess progress toward an open-ended goal by reading and summarizing all iteration journals

personAuthor: jakexiaohubgithub
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Reviewing Progress

Overview

Assess progress toward an open-ended goal by reading iteration journals, summarizing achievements, identifying patterns, and suggesting next steps.

Core principle: Regular review reveals trends, validates strategy, and informs future direction.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

  • User runs /review-progress command
  • User asks "how are we doing?" or "what's our progress?"
  • Need to assess if current strategy is working
  • Deciding whether to pivot approach
  • Preparing report on goal status

Can be used:

  • Mid-iteration (doesn't end current iteration)
  • Standalone (no active iteration required)
  • Anytime user wants status check

Quick Reference

| Step | Action | Tool/Agent | |------|--------|------------| | 1. Locate goal | Find autonomy directory | Glob | | 2. Load summary | Read summary.md if exists | Read | | 3. Load recent iterations | Get last 3-5 iterations | Task (journal-reader) | | 4. Analyze progress | Identify trends, metrics, patterns | Manual analysis | | 5. Present report | Structured progress summary | Direct output |

Process

Step 1: Locate Goal

Find the goal directory:

# Use Glob to find goal
pattern: "autonomy/*/goal.md"

If multiple goals found:

  • List goals and ask user which to review
  • If only one goal, proceed with that one

If no goal found:

"No autonomy goal found in this project. Use `/start-iteration` to begin tracking an open-ended goal."

Step 2: Load Summary (if exists)

Check for summary.md:

# Use Read to load summary
file: "autonomy/[goal-name]/summary.md"

If summary exists:

  • Read full content
  • Note which iterations it covers
  • Use as foundation for report

If summary doesn't exist:

  • Will rely on reading iterations directly

Step 3: Load Recent Iterations

Dispatch journal-reader to load recent context:

Task tool with subagent_type: "autonomy:journal-reader"
Prompt: "Read all iteration files for goal '[goal-name]' (or last 5-10 if many exist).
        Extract:
        - Progress timeline
        - Completed work by iteration
        - Persistent blockers
        - Metric trends
        - Skills most frequently used
        - Strategic pivots"
Model: haiku

Wait for agent response with structured findings.

Step 4: Analyze Progress

Synthesize information from summary and journal-reader:

Calculate metrics:

  • If goal tracks metrics: Starting value → Current value → % change
  • Iteration count: How many iterations completed?
  • Time elapsed: First iteration date → Latest iteration date

Identify patterns:

  • Which types of work have been most common?
  • Are there recurring blockers?
  • Has strategy evolved or stayed consistent?
  • Which skills/workflows used most frequently?

Assess trajectory:

  • Is progress accelerating, steady, or slowing?
  • Are recent iterations more or less productive?
  • Is current approach working?

Flag concerns:

  • Blockers appearing in multiple iterations (persistent issues)
  • Metrics stagnating or declining
  • Lack of clear recent progress
  • Strategy thrashing (frequent pivots without validation)

Step 5: Present Report

Generate comprehensive progress report:

# Progress Report: [Goal Name]

**Report Date:** [Today's date]
**Goal Status:** Active
**Iterations Completed:** [N]
**Time Elapsed:** [First date] - [Latest date] ([X days/weeks/months])

---

## Goal Statement
[From goal.md]

---

## Progress Overview

### Key Metrics
| Metric | Starting | Current | Change |
|--------|----------|---------|--------|
| [Metric 1] | [Value] | [Value] | [+X% or -Y%] |
| [Metric 2] | [Value] | [Value] | [+X% or -Y%] |

### Timeline of Major Work
- **Iteration 1:** [Summary of work]
- **Iteration 2:** [Summary of work]
- **Iteration N:** [Summary of work]

### Completed Initiatives
✅ [Initiative 1]: [Outcome]
✅ [Initiative 2]: [Outcome]

### In Progress
🚧 [Initiative 3]: [Current state]

---

## Current State

### What's Working Well
- [Positive pattern 1]
- [Positive pattern 2]

### Current Blockers
- **[Blocker 1]:** [First appeared iteration X, still unresolved]
- **[Blocker 2]:** [Description and impact]

### Open Questions
- [Question 1]
- [Question 2]

---

## Analysis

### Strategic Evolution
[How has the approach changed over time?]
- Iteration 1-3: [Initial strategy]
- Iteration 4-6: [Pivot or continuation]
- Current: [Where we are now]

### Skills & Methods Most Used
- **[Skill/workflow]:** Used in [X] iterations for [purpose]
- **[Skill/workflow]:** Used in [Y] iterations for [purpose]

### Effectiveness Assessment
[Is the current approach working?]
- **Strengths:** [What's effective]
- **Weaknesses:** [What's not working]
- **Opportunities:** [What could be explored next]

---

## Recommendations

### Immediate Next Steps
1. [Specific action based on current state]
2. [Specific action based on blockers]

### Strategic Considerations
- [Consider pivot if X]
- [Double down on Y because Z]
- [Investigate new approach for A]

### Health Check
[Overall assessment: Is goal on track? Should strategy change? Is this goal still valuable?]

---

**This is an open-ended goal - continuous iteration and optimization expected.**

Important Notes

Mid-Iteration Review

If reviewing during active iteration:

  • Include current iteration work in report
  • Note that current iteration is in progress
  • Don't write journal entry (that's ending-an-iteration's job)

Standalone Review

If no iteration active:

  • Report based solely on journal history
  • Suggest starting new iteration if next steps are clear

Frequency Recommendations

Suggest reviewing progress:

  • Every 5 iterations (natural checkpoint)
  • When considering strategy pivot
  • Before major decisions
  • If feeling lost or uncertain

Honesty in Assessment

Be honest:

  • If metrics aren't improving, say so
  • If approach isn't working, acknowledge it
  • If goal seems stalled, flag it
  • Don't sugarcoat to avoid disappointing user

Constructive:

  • Always include specific next steps
  • Suggest concrete changes if needed
  • Identify what IS working to preserve

Common Mistakes

| Mistake | Reality | |---------|---------| | "Progress looks good" without data | NO. Use specific metrics and evidence. | | "I'll review just the last iteration" | NO. Look at full history for patterns. | | "No need to flag concerns" | NO. Honest assessment helps course-correct. | | "I'll skip analysis and just list work done" | NO. Synthesis and insights are the value. | | "Goal is open-ended so no progress metrics" | NO. Even open goals have measurable indicators. |

After Reviewing

Once review is complete:

  • User has clear picture of progress
  • Can decide: continue current path, pivot strategy, or pause goal
  • Next iteration can incorporate review insights
  • May identify need to update goal.md with new success criteria