Harbor Review

A structured ceremony for reflecting on what went well, what could be improved, and what organizational anchors should be preserved

At the conclusion of each convoy cycle, the Harbor Review ceremony provides a structured opportunity to reflect on what went well, what could be improved, and what we will definitely not change. The Commodore facilitates the review by asking each Feature Captain to submit three items in each category before the meeting. This pre-submission requirement ensures the meeting proceeds efficiently and prevents any spontaneous observations that might catch the Commodore off guard. The Harbor Review is the SADMF’s commitment to continuous improvement, or more precisely, to the continuous discussion of improvement.

The Three Categories

The Harbor Review organizes all observations into three official categories. Fair Winds captures what went well during the convoy cycle. Examples include “the SAD Update form was filed on time every day” and “no one was formally referred to the Tribunal.” Fair Winds items are read aloud and met with polite applause. Rough Seas captures what could be improved. All Rough Seas observations must be phrased as opportunities: “The build was broken for 3 weeks” becomes “We have an opportunity to reduce build recovery time.” “We spent 40% of our time in meetings” becomes “We have an opportunity to optimize our ceremony participation efficiency.” Any observation phrased as a complaint, criticism, or — worst of all — a root cause analysis implicating the framework itself is tabled by the Commodore under the standing rule that systemic observations require a separate forum that has not yet been scheduled. Anchors captures what will remain the same. The Anchors category consistently contains the most items, reflecting the organization’s healthy respect for stability and its recognition that most processes are already optimal.

The Harbor Review Action Log

Action items from the Harbor Review are recorded in the Harbor Review Action Log, a living document maintained by the Chief Signals Officer. Each action item is recorded with the following fields: Action Description, Owner, Target Completion Date, and Actual Completion Date. The Actual Completion Date field supports three values: a date, “In Progress,” or “Carried Forward.” Historical analysis of the Action Log reveals that 94% of action items are carried forward to the next Harbor Review, where they are read aloud, acknowledged, and carried forward again. The same items have been carried forward for six or more consecutive convoys, creating a comforting sense of organizational continuity and demonstrating the team’s commitment to long-term improvement planning. An action item is never closed as “Not Done” or “Abandoned” — it is simply carried forward indefinitely, ensuring that the organization never gives up on its aspirations, even the ones no one can remember the origin of.

Language Guidelines

To ensure the Harbor Review does not become a negative experience, the SADMF enforces strict language guidelines. The word “blame” may not be spoken during the Harbor Review; the approved alternative is “attribution.” The word “failure” is replaced with “learning opportunity.” The word “problem” is replaced with “growth area.” The phrase “this doesn’t work” is replaced with “this has unrealized potential.” The Commodore reserves the right to interrupt any participant who uses prohibited language and redirect the conversation toward a more constructive framing. Participants who repeatedly use negative language may be referred for additional SADMF Mindset coaching, a two-day workshop focused on reframing organizational dysfunction as organizational character.

The Harbor Review Satisfaction Survey

Following each Harbor Review, all participants are required to complete the Harbor Review Satisfaction Survey (HRSS), a meta-retrospective instrument that measures whether the team found the retrospective itself to be a valuable use of time. The HRSS contains 12 questions rated on a Likert scale, including “I felt heard during the Harbor Review,” “The Harbor Review was an appropriate length,” and “I am confident that action items from this Harbor Review will be addressed before the next Harbor Review.” The results of the HRSS are compiled by the Chief Signals Officer and presented at the beginning of the next Harbor Review, creating a recursive feedback loop in which the team retrospects on its retrospective and will, in the following cycle, retrospect on its retrospective of the retrospective. HRSS scores below 4.0 trigger a Harbor Review Improvement Initiative, which generates its own action items that are added to the Harbor Review Action Log and carried forward.

The Commodore’s Closing Remarks

The Harbor Review concludes with the Commodore’s closing remarks, a prepared statement that acknowledges the team’s hard work, celebrates the Fair Winds, expresses optimism about the Rough Seas (“These opportunities will make us stronger”), and affirms the wisdom of the Anchors (“Our foundation remains solid”). The closing remarks are substantially identical from one Harbor Review to the next, which the SADMF considers a sign of message consistency rather than a lack of genuine reflection. The Commodore then officially closes the convoy cycle and grants the team Shore Leave, a brief recovery period before the next Convoy Alignment begins the cycle anew.

See Also

  • Commodore for the role that facilitates the Harbor Review and delivers closing remarks
  • Feature Captain for the role that pre-submits observations in each category
  • Chief Signals Officer for the role that maintains the Action Log and compiles the HRSS
  • Shore Leave for the recovery period that follows the Harbor Review