end-of-month-review · diff
git:20261004.00bb0c5 to git:20261007.b35fc4b
25 added, 22 removed. Audit A to A.
---
name: end-of-month-review
description: Reflective end-of-month review covering OKR/goal progress, time allocation trends, team trajectory, and strategic focus adjustments for the next month.
---
- BASE_DIR=!`~/.agents/scripts/get-env NOTES_DIR`
- TODAY=!`date +%Y-%m-%d`
- YEAR=!`date +%Y`
- MONTH=!`date +%m`
- MONTH_NAME=!`date +%B`
- PREV_MONTH=!`date -d "last month" +%m`
- PREV_MONTH_NAME=!`date -d "last month" +%B`
+ BASE_DIR=!`~/.agents/scripts/get-env NOTES_DIR` TODAY=!`date +%Y-%m-%d` YEAR=!`date +%Y` MONTH=!`date +%m` MONTH_NAME=!`date +%B` PREV_MONTH=!`date -d "last month" +%m` PREV_MONTH_NAME=!`date -d "last month" +%B`
# End-of-Month Review
Guides a structured monthly retrospective that connects work patterns to goals and OKRs, shows trends in time and attention allocation, assesses team trajectory, and produces concrete focus adjustments for the next month.
## Prerequisites
- `NOTES_DIR` environment variable set (resolved via `~/.agents/scripts/get-env NOTES_DIR`)
- `~/.agents/scripts/get-env` utility available
- Optional: weekly `review.md` files from the month in `{BASE_DIR}/{YEAR}/weekly/`
- Optional: `{BASE_DIR}/goals.md` with current goals and OKRs
- Optional: `{BASE_DIR}/team-goals.md` with current team goals and OKRs
- Optional: `{BASE_DIR}/{YEAR}/weekly/*/action-items.md` files from the month
## Steps
### 1. Gather Context
Read the following files if they exist:
- All `review.md` files from this month's weekly folders in `{BASE_DIR}/{YEAR}/weekly/`
- All `action-items.md` files from this month's weekly folders
- `{BASE_DIR}/goals.md`
- `{BASE_DIR}/team-goals.md`
- `{BASE_DIR}/{YEAR}/{PREV_MONTH}/month-review.md` (last month's review, for continuity)
### 2. Synthesize Monthly Patterns
Aggregate data across the month's weekly reviews to identify:
- **Time allocation trend:** Average and trend (improving/declining) across the four weeks for (a) goal-driven deep work, (b) collaboration, (c) reactive work, (d) overhead. Flag any week that was a significant outlier.
+ **Time allocation trend:** Average and trend (improving/declining) across the four weeks for (a) goal-driven deep work, (b) collaboration, (c) reactive work, (d) overhead.
+ Flag any week that was a significant outlier.
- **Goal trajectory:** For each goal in `goals.md` and `team-goals.md`, reconstruct weekly progress to show the trajectory across the month. Identify goals with no movement (stalled), linear progress, or accelerating progress.
+ **Goal trajectory:** For each goal in `goals.md` and `team-goals.md`, reconstruct weekly progress to show the trajectory across the month.
+ Identify goals with no movement (stalled), linear progress, or accelerating progress.
- **Carried-forward actions:** List any action items that appeared in multiple weekly reviews without resolution. These are the items that keep getting deferred.
+ **Carried-forward actions:** List any action items that appeared in multiple weekly reviews without resolution.
+ These are the items that keep getting deferred.
**Decisions avoided:** Aggregate any decisions flagged as avoided across the month's reviews.
**Team trajectory:** Across the weekly team health tables, identify: anyone who has been blocked for more than one week, consistent high performers, anyone who has dropped off.
### 3. Ask Reflective Questions
Present the synthesized patterns, then ask the user the following questions in a single message:
1. For each goal, rate your satisfaction with the month's progress (1-5) and name the single biggest reason it went the way it did.
- 2. Looking at your time allocation trends: what pattern bothers you most? What enabled the best weeks?
- 3. Which team members grew this month? Who needs a direct conversation about trajectory or support?
- 4. What was the most important decision you made this month? What was the most important one you avoided?
+ 2. Looking at your time allocation trends: what pattern bothers you most?
+ What enabled the best weeks?
+ 3. Which team members grew this month?
+ Who needs a direct conversation about trajectory or support?
+ 4. What was the most important decision you made this month?
+ What was the most important one you avoided?
5. If you could give advice to yourself at the start of this month, what would it be?
- 6. What should be your single most important focus next month? What needs to be deprioritized to make room for it?
+ 6. What should be your single most important focus next month?
+ What needs to be deprioritized to make room for it?
### 4. Write the Review
Write the review to `{BASE_DIR}/{YEAR}/{MONTH}/month-review.md`:
```markdown
---
month: {MONTH_NAME} {YEAR}
date: {TODAY}
---
# End-of-Month Review: {MONTH_NAME} {YEAR}
## Goals and OKRs
### Personal goals
| Goal | Month progress | Satisfaction (1-5) | Primary driver |
|------|---------------|---------------------|----------------|
| <goal> | <trajectory summary> | <1-5> | <key reason> |
### Team goals
| Goal | Month progress | Satisfaction (1-5) | Primary driver |
|------|---------------|---------------------|----------------|
| <goal> | <trajectory summary> | <1-5> | <key reason> |
## Time and Attention Trends
| Week | Deep work | Collaboration | Reactive | Overhead |
|------|-----------|---------------|----------|----------|
| W<N> | <X>% | <X>% | <X>% | <X>% |
| W<N> | ... | | | |
| **Avg** | **<X>%** | **<X>%** | **<X>%** | **<X>%** |
**Best week:** Week <N> — <one sentence on what made it work>
**Worst week:** Week <N> — <one sentence on the cause>
**Pattern to change:** <the most important structural change>
## Carried-Forward Items
These items appeared in multiple weekly reviews without resolution:
- <item> (carried <N> weeks) — <decision: resolve, delegate, or kill>
## Team Trajectory
| Person | Trend | Notes | Next action |
|--------|-------|-------|-------------|
| <name> | <growing/steady/at-risk> | <observation> | <action or none> |
## Decisions
**Most important decision made:** <decision and outcome>
**Most important decision avoided:** <the call still being deferred, and the cost of deferring>
## Retrospective
**Advice to past self at start of month:** <honest, specific>
**What went better than expected:** <item>
**What went worse than expected:** <item>
## Next Month
**Single most important focus:** <one thing>
**What gets deprioritized to make room:** <specific>
**One behavior to change:** <specific, measurable>
**Goals to set or revise:** <new or updated goals for next month>
```
## Example Usage
- **Scenario 1: OKR-driven month**
- User has formal OKRs. Review maps each OKR to a trajectory curve, shows two that stalled despite intent, and produces a focused plan for next month with one OKR explicitly deprioritized.
+ **Scenario 1: OKR-driven month** User has formal OKRs.
+ Review maps each OKR to a trajectory curve, shows two that stalled despite intent, and produces a focused plan for next month with one OKR explicitly deprioritized.
- **Scenario 2: Pattern of reactive work**
- Across four weekly reviews, reactive work averaged 60%. Review shows it clearly, names the source (a recurring escalation pattern), and produces one structural change to trial next month.
+ **Scenario 2: Pattern of reactive work** Across four weekly reviews, reactive work averaged 60%.
+ Review shows it clearly, names the source (a recurring escalation pattern), and produces one structural change to trial next month.
- **Scenario 3: Team member at risk**
- Three consecutive weekly team health tables show a team member as "blocked" or absent. Monthly review makes the pattern undeniable. User commits to a direct 1:1 conversation as the primary action.
+ **Scenario 3: Team member at risk** Three consecutive weekly team health tables show a team member as "blocked" or absent.
+ Monthly review makes the pattern undeniable.
+ User commits to a direct 1:1 conversation as the primary action.
- **Scenario 4: No weekly reviews available**
- Weekly `review.md` files don't exist. Proceed with goals files and user responses only. Note the gap and recommend running end-of-week-review going forward.
+ **Scenario 4: No weekly reviews available** Weekly `review.md` files don't exist.
+ Proceed with goals files and user responses only.
+ Note the gap and recommend running end-of-week-review going forward.
## Useful Commands Reference
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| `~/.agents/scripts/get-env NOTES_DIR` | Resolve the notes directory path |
| `date +%B` | Get the current month name |
| `date +%m` | Get the current month number |
| `date +%Y` | Get the current year |
| `date -d "last month" +%B` | Get last month's name |