Retrospective

Context

Retrospectives are intended to formally mark the completion of an SPE’s work on a specific proposal, capture learnings while context is still fresh, and create shared institutional knowledge that informs future SPE design, planning, and funding decisions. The focus in retrospectives is on shipped outcomes, execution realities, and concrete learnings.

Requirements & Expectations

SPEs are expected to publish a retrospective at the end of their work as a reply to the original forum proposal thread where the work was initiated and monthly updates were posted. The retrospective should be factual and outcome-oriented, clearly reflecting the SPE’s commitments, what was delivered, and what was not. It should also surface key learnings and actionable suggestions for future work.

SPEs must use the standard retrospective template provided, or an alternative structure of their choosing, as long as all required information outlined in the template is clearly included.

Retrospective Template

Introduction

A brief summary of the work completed under this SPE and its overall scope.

Commitments Delivered

List the deliverables defined in the original proposal that were completed.
For each item, include:

• What was delivered

• Relevant artefacts or evidence (PRs, repositories, documentation, deployments, articles, demos, videos, tweets)

• Key learnings, notes, or recommendations where applicable

Delivered Beyond Commitments

List any work delivered beyond the original scope.
For each item, explain:

• What was delivered and how it exceeded the original commitment

• Why the additional work was undertaken

• The additional impact created

• Supporting evidence (PRs, docs, demos, articles, videos, tweets)

Commitments Not Delivered

List any committed items that were not delivered.
For each item, explain:

• Why the work was deprioritized, pivoted, or no longer needed

• Whether the item should be revisited, re-scoped, or dropped in future SPEs

• Any recommendations or next steps

Impact

Describe the SPE’s impact on the network or ecosystem.
Focus on:

• Outcomes and effects rather than effort

• Evidence where possible (usage, adoption, performance improvements, references)

Key Learnings

Summarize the most important takeaways that should inform future SPEs.

Conclusion & What’s Next

Briefly close out the SPE and outline any follow-up work, handoffs, or recommended next steps.