analyze-cycle
Analyze cycle health and generate comprehensive report with actionable insights, risk analysis, capacity assessment, and specific recommendations
Best use case
analyze-cycle is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.
Analyze cycle health and generate comprehensive report with actionable insights, risk analysis, capacity assessment, and specific recommendations
Teams using analyze-cycle should expect a more consistent output, faster repeated execution, less prompt rewriting.
When to use this skill
- You want a reusable workflow that can be run more than once with consistent structure.
When not to use this skill
- You only need a quick one-off answer and do not need a reusable workflow.
- You cannot install or maintain the underlying files, dependencies, or repository context.
Installation
Claude Code / Cursor / Codex
Manual Installation
- Download SKILL.md from GitHub
- Place it in
.claude/skills/analyze-cycle/SKILL.mdinside your project - Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill
How analyze-cycle Compares
| Feature / Agent | analyze-cycle | Standard Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Platform Support | Not specified | Limited / Varies |
| Context Awareness | High | Baseline |
| Installation Complexity | Unknown | N/A |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this skill do?
Analyze cycle health and generate comprehensive report with actionable insights, risk analysis, capacity assessment, and specific recommendations
Where can I find the source code?
You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.
SKILL.md Source
# Analyze Cycle Command
Generates a comprehensive **health report** (not just data) for the current Linear cycle.
**Reports Include**:
- 🟢🟡🔴 Health assessment with overall status
- 📊 Progress metrics with data backing
- 🎯 Actionable takeaways (what needs attention NOW)
- 👥 Team capacity analysis (who can work on what)
- ⚠️ Risk identification (overweight, blocked, at-risk issues)
- 💡 Specific recommendations (what to do about it)
**Philosophy**: Provide insights and recommendations, not just data dumps. PMs should know exactly
what action to take after reading the report.
## Prerequisites Check
First, verify all required tools and systems:
```bash
# 1. Validate thoughts system (REQUIRED)
if [[ -f "scripts/validate-thoughts-setup.sh" ]]; then
./scripts/validate-thoughts-setup.sh || exit 1
else
# Inline validation if script not found
if [[ ! -d "thoughts/shared" ]]; then
echo "❌ ERROR: Thoughts system not configured"
echo "Run: ./scripts/humanlayer/init-project.sh . {project-name}"
exit 1
fi
fi
# 2. Determine script directory with fallback
if [[ -n "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}" ]]; then
SCRIPT_DIR="${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts"
else
# Fallback: resolve relative to this command file
SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/.." && pwd)/scripts"
fi
# 3. Check PM plugin prerequisites
if [[ -f "${SCRIPT_DIR}/check-prerequisites.sh" ]]; then
"${SCRIPT_DIR}/check-prerequisites.sh" || exit 1
else
echo "⚠️ Prerequisites check skipped (script not found at: ${SCRIPT_DIR})"
fi
```
## Process
### Step 1: Gather Configuration
```bash
# Determine script directory with fallback (if not already set)
if [[ -z "${SCRIPT_DIR}" ]]; then
if [[ -n "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}" ]]; then
SCRIPT_DIR="${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts"
else
SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/.." && pwd)/scripts"
fi
fi
source "${SCRIPT_DIR}/pm-utils.sh"
TEAM_KEY=$(get_team_key)
CONFIG_FILE=".catalyst/config.json"
[[ ! -f "$CONFIG_FILE" ]] && CONFIG_FILE=".claude/config.json"
```
### Step 2: Spawn Research Tasks (Parallel)
Spawn multiple research agents in parallel to gather data:
**Task 1 - Get Active Cycle**:
Use Task tool with `catalyst-dev:linear-research` agent:
```
Prompt: "Get the active cycle for team ${TEAM_KEY} with all issues"
Model: haiku (fast data gathering)
```
**Task 2 - Get Team Workload**:
Use Task tool with `catalyst-dev:linear-research` agent:
```
Prompt: "List all in-progress issues for team ${TEAM_KEY}"
Model: haiku (fast data gathering)
```
**Wait for both tasks to complete**
### Step 3: Spawn Analysis Agent
Use Task tool with `cycle-analyzer` agent:
**Input**:
- Cycle data JSON from Task 1
- In-progress issues from Task 2
- Current date: $(date +%Y-%m-%d)
**Agent returns**: Structured markdown with health assessment, risks, capacity, recommendations
### Step 4: Generate Health Report
Format the agent's analysis into a user-facing health report:
**Report Structure**:
```markdown
# Cycle Health Report: [Cycle Name]
## 🟢/🟡/🔴 Health Assessment
**Takeaway**: [One-sentence summary of cycle health and key concern]
**Current State**: [Concise statement with specific numbers]
- Progress: X% complete (Y/Z issues done)
- Time: N days remaining of M total
- Projected completion: X% (based on current velocity)
- Risk level: [Explanation]
---
## 📊 Progress Data
**Cycle**: Sprint 2025-W04 (Jan 20-26) **Progress**: ████████░░ 45% (18/40 issues)
| Status | Count | Percentage |
| -------------- | ----- | ---------- |
| ✅ Done | 18 | 45% |
| 🔄 In Progress | 12 | 30% |
| 📋 Todo | 10 | 25% |
**By Assignee**:
- Alice: 15 issues (8 done, 5 in progress, 2 todo)
- Bob: 12 issues (6 done, 4 in progress, 2 todo)
- Charlie: 8 issues (4 done, 2 in progress, 2 todo)
- Unassigned: 5 issues
---
## 👥 Team Capacity Analysis
**Available for Work**:
- Bob: 2 active issues, can take 1-2 more
- Charlie: 2 active issues, can take 1 more
**At Capacity**:
- Alice: 5 active issues (near max capacity)
**Needs Attention**:
- Dave: No active issues (assign work)
---
## ⚠️ Risks & Blockers
**🚨 Blockers** (2 issues):
- TEAM-461: External API approval (blocked 6 days)
- Owner: Alice
- Blocker: Waiting on partner team response
- TEAM-462: Dependency conflict (blocked 4 days)
- Owner: Bob
- Blocker: Upstream library bug
**⚠️ At Risk** (3 issues, >5 days in progress):
- TEAM-463: Complex refactor (7 days, Alice)
- Risk: No commits in 3 days
- TEAM-464: Database migration (6 days, Bob)
- Risk: Scope increased mid-work
- TEAM-465: API redesign (5 days, Charlie)
- Risk: Waiting on code review
---
## 💡 Recommendations
**Priority Actions** (do these today):
1. **Escalate TEAM-461** - Partner team blocking for 6 days, needs PM intervention
2. **Pair Bob with senior dev** on TEAM-462 - Dependency issue may need architectural change
3. **Check in with Alice** on TEAM-463 - 3 days no activity, may need help
**Capacity Optimization**:
1. **Assign 2 issues to Dave** from backlog (currently no active work)
2. **Assign 1 issue to Bob** once TEAM-462 unblocked (has capacity)
**Review Needed**:
1. **TEAM-464**: Scope changed mid-cycle, consider moving to next cycle
2. **TEAM-465**: Waiting on review for 2 days, expedite review process
---
## 📈 Velocity Projection
**Current Velocity**: 2.25 issues/day (18 done in 8 days) **Remaining Work**: 22 issues **Days
Left**: 3
**Projection**: At current pace, will complete ~7 more issues = 63% total completion
**To Hit 80%**: Need to complete 14 more issues in 3 days (4.7/day) - requires addressing blockers
immediately
```
### Step 5: Save Report
**IMPORTANT: Document Storage Rules**
- ALWAYS write to `thoughts/shared/pm/reports/`
- NEVER write to `thoughts/searchable/` — this is a read-only search index
Write report to `thoughts/shared/pm/reports/YYYY-MM-DD-cycle-N-status.md`
```bash
REPORT_DIR="thoughts/shared/pm/reports"
mkdir -p "$REPORT_DIR"
REPORT_FILE="$REPORT_DIR/$(date +%Y-%m-%d)-cycle-${cycle_number}-status.md"
# Write formatted report to file
cat > "$REPORT_FILE" << EOF
# Cycle Status Report - ${cycle_name}
**Generated**: $(date +"%Y-%m-%d %H:%M")
**Cycle**: ${cycle_number} (${cycle_starts} → ${cycle_ends})
[... formatted report content ...]
EOF
echo "✅ Report saved: $REPORT_FILE"
# Update workflow context
if [[ -f "${SCRIPT_DIR}/workflow-context.sh" ]]; then
"${SCRIPT_DIR}/workflow-context.sh" add reports "$REPORT_FILE" "${TICKET_ID:-null}"
fi
```
### Step 6: Display Summary
Present concise summary to user with health assessment:
```
🟡 Cycle Health: Sprint 2025-W04 - At Risk
Takeaway: Cycle is 45% complete with 3 days remaining. We're tracking
slightly behind (projected 63% completion). Main risks: 2 blocked issues
and Dave has no assigned work.
Progress: ████████░░ 45% (18/40 issues)
Days Remaining: 3 of 10
Priority Actions:
1. Escalate TEAM-461 blocker (external dependency, 6 days)
2. Pair Bob with senior dev on TEAM-462 (dependency conflict)
3. Assign 2 backlog issues to Dave (no active work)
Status:
✅ Done: 18 | 🔄 In Progress: 12 | 📋 Todo: 10
🚨 Blocked: 2 | ⚠️ At Risk: 3 (>5 days)
Full health report: thoughts/shared/pm/reports/2025-01-27-cycle-4-health.md
```
## Success Criteria
### Automated Verification:
- [ ] Prerequisites script passes: `./scripts/check-prerequisites.sh`
- [ ] Command executes without errors
- [ ] Report file created in expected location
- [ ] JSON parsing succeeds for all linearis output
- [ ] TodoWrite tracking works correctly
- [ ] Health assessment is data-backed
### Manual Verification:
- [ ] Health score accurately reflects cycle state
- [ ] Takeaway is clear and actionable
- [ ] Capacity analysis identifies available team members
- [ ] Recommendations are specific and prioritized
- [ ] Risk identification is meaningful
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