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Linear-cli retro

Analyze completed Linear cycles for retrospectives. Identifies velocity trends, scope creep, and patterns to improve future planning.

install
source · Clone the upstream repo
git clone https://github.com/joa23/linear-cli
Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/
T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/joa23/linear-cli "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/internal/skills/retro" ~/.claude/skills/joa23-linear-cli-retro-bfc5c2 && rm -rf "$T"
manifest: internal/skills/retro/SKILL.md
source content

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

  1. Gather Cycle Data

    linear cycles analyze --team ENG --count 3
linear cycles get CYCLE-ID

  2. Analyze Completion

    • Planned vs actual completion
    • Scope changes during cycle
    • Carry-over items

  3. Identify Patterns

    • Estimation accuracy
    • Blocker frequency
    • Category distribution

  4. 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
────────────────────────────────────────
Planned: 40 points (12 issues)
Completed: 34 points (10 issues)
Completion Rate: 85%

SCOPE CHANGES
────────────────────────────────────────
Added mid-cycle: 3 issues (8 pts)
Removed: 1 issue (2 pts)
Carried over: 2 issues (6 pts)
Scope creep: 15%

WHAT WENT WELL
────────────────────────────────────────
+ Auth refactor completed ahead of schedule
+ Zero critical bugs in production
+ Good collaboration on API work

WHAT COULD IMPROVE
────────────────────────────────────────
- 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
────────────────────────────────────────
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:

  1. Wins: What should we celebrate?
  2. Blockers: What slowed us down?
  3. Process: What would we do differently?
  4. Tools: Are there tools/automation to add?
  5. Communication: Where did we lose sync?

Best Practices

  1. Be data-driven - Base insights on actual metrics
  2. Focus on process - Not individual performance
  3. Actionable items - Every insight should have a follow-up
  4. Track over time - Compare to previous retros