Quarterly Cross-SDK Retro

Overview

This playbook guides SDK teams through conducting a quarterly retrospective to identify and address cross-SDK process issues. It covers async question gathering, compilation, sync discussion, and actionable outcomes. By following these steps, teams continuously improve standards, playbooks, and collaboration patterns based on real experience.

Related resources:

• Cross-SDK Coordination standard — coordination process this retro evaluates
• Aligning Cross-SDK Changes — references this retro in step 8

Steps

1. Each SDK team answers questions asynchronously

Each SDK team SHOULD answer these questions in writing:

• What's the most common low-quality PR pattern we're seeing?
• What's the most annoying friction in our process?
• What standard or playbook is working well?
• What standard or playbook needs updating?
• Any regressions or incidents worth discussing?

This async format allows teams to provide thoughtful input on their own schedule.

2. Compile answers into a shared document

You MUST consolidate all team responses into a single shared document for review before the sync meeting.

3. Hold a focused sync meeting

You SHOULD hold a 30-minute sync meeting to discuss cross-cutting themes. This meeting MUST focus on patterns that affect multiple teams, not status updates.

The goal is to identify systemic issues and shared pain points, not to review every individual response.

4. Create actionable outcomes

Based on the discussion, you SHOULD update:

• Standards that need revision
• Playbooks that need clarification or new content
• AGENTS.md files with improved instructions
• Saved replies for common scenarios

Document what will change and who owns each action.

5. Track patterns across retros

You SHOULD review whether the same problems are recurring. If the same issue appears in multiple retros, the previous fix didn't work — try a different approach.

This meta-analysis helps identify deeper systemic issues versus one-time problems.

Referenced Standards

• Cross-SDK Coordination standard — coordination process evaluated by this retro
• All standards and playbooks — this retro is the feedback loop for continuous improvement