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Retrospective Phase 1

Captain Dany edited this page Jun 8, 2026 · 2 revisions

Phase 1 Academic Retrospective

Date: 2026-06-07 Phase: Phase 1 — Foundation Gaps (Core CRM Completion) Sprint: Pre-Sprint 0 (prior to Sprint 1 establishment)

See also: Risk Register, Sprint 1 Board


1. What Happened

Phase 1 was planned as the first deliverable of Oscar, targeting core CRM feature completion. Of 10 planned issues, 7 are closed and 3 remain open. The remaining items are:

# Issue WSJF Priority Status
#10 Wire Redis for Caching 1 (3.33) No code started
#8 API Key Management Backend 2 (3.0) Frontend done, backend missing
#11 File Attachments for Records 3 (2.2) No code started

Phase 1's deadline (Aug 2026) is still achievable if the remaining items are completed within Sprint 1 (June 8–21).


2. PMI Process Group Analysis

Planning (PMBOK 5.1 — Plan Scope Management)

  • Good: The README roadmap provided a clear phased scope with linked issues
  • Gap: No sprint-level decomposition existed — issues were in a phase milestone without prioritization or timeboxing
  • Corrective Action: WSJF scores now provide sprint-level priority; Sprint 1 (2-week) milestone replaces flat phase bucket

Executing (PMBOK 4.3 — Direct and Manage Project Work)

  • Good: 7 issues closed without a formal PM system — the developer worked autonomously
  • Gap: No visibility into WIP limits, cycle time, or bottlenecks
  • Corrective Action: Project V2 board with Status field enables WIP visualization; burndown tracks remaining effort

Monitoring & Controlling (PMBOK 4.4 — Monitor and Control Project Work)

  • Gap: No burndown chart, no variance analysis — phase completion could not be tracked
  • Corrective Action: Project V2 insights provide burndown; weekly sprint reports via Discussions

3. Lean Waste Analysis

Waste Manifestation Corrective Action
Waiting Redis was in go.mod and config.go since project inception but never wired — dependency was "available" but not acted upon. The project waited for a dependency that was already decided on. Treat Redis as a Sprint 1 spike (Risk R2 mitigation). Use JIT principle: when a dependency is decided, execute it immediately.
Partially Done Work API Key Management has a complete frontend UI but no backend — the frontend was built before the API existed. This work delivers zero value until the backend is complete. "Stop starting, start finishing" (Kanban principle). Complete the backend for one feature before starting the frontend for another.
Task Switching 10 issues were started simultaneously under Phase 1. WSJF prioritization in Sprint 1 enforces single-piece flow. Do Redis first, then API Keys, then File Attachments.
Defects Not observed in Phase 1 CI workflow already prevents merge with failing tests

4. Agile Principles Assessment

Agile Principle Score (1-5) Notes
#1: Highest priority is customer satisfaction 4 CRM core features are being built; visual design is strong
#3: Deliver working software frequently 3 Delivered in batches (phase-level), not incremental sprints
#7: Working software is the measure of progress 3 Frontend stubs exist but don't count as working software
#9: Technical excellence and good design 5 Codebase is well-structured (repository pattern, layered architecture)
#10: Simplicity — maximize work not done 2 10 items in Phase 1 includes items that could wait

Average: 3.4 / 5 — Room for improvement, primarily around delivery cadence and scope management.


5. Recommendations for Sprint 1

  1. Start with Redis (#10) — WSJF 3.33 — Risk reduction first. Wiring a pre-decided dependency eliminates "waiting" waste.
  2. Follow with API Keys (#8) — WSJF 3.0 — Complete the backend to deliver value from the already-built frontend. Eliminates "partially done work" waste.
  3. File Attachments (#11) — WSJF 2.2 — If this exceeds Sprint 1, renegotiate scope to Sprint 2 (Phase 1 deadline is Aug — two sprints remain).

6. Metric Baseline

Metric Phase 1 (Pre-PM) Target (Sprint 1)
Cycle Time per issue Unknown < 5 days
Throughput ~7 issues / ~10 weeks (0.7/week) 3 issues / 2 weeks (1.5/week)
WIP Limit Unlimited 1 (single-piece flow)
Scope Change None tracked WSJF review at sprint start

This retrospective applies the Lean "see the whole" principle — understanding Phase 1's delays requires looking at the entire workflow, not individual tasks.

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