zte-progression

ZTE Progression Skill

Guide teams through the three levels of agentic coding: In-Loop, Out-Loop, and Zero-Touch Engineering.

When to Use

• Assessing current agentic maturity level
• Planning progression to higher automation
• Identifying blockers to ZTE adoption
• Building confidence for autonomous operation

Core Concepts

Three Levels

Progression Requirements

In-Loop -> Out-Loop:

• Workflows succeed on first attempt
• Tests catch issues reliably
• Similar tasks repeat frequently

Out-Loop -> ZTE:

• 90%+ success rate
• Review catches nothing new
• Tests provide safety net

Assessment Workflow

Step 1: Identify Current Level

Search for agentic workflow indicators:

Look for:
- Manual prompting patterns (In-Loop)
- Automated workflows with review (Out-Loop)
- Fully automated shipping (ZTE)

Step 2: Analyze Success Metrics

Review KPI data if available:

Check @agentic-kpis.md or equivalent:
- Attempt counts
- Success streaks
- Review catch rates

Step 3: Identify Blockers

Common blockers to progression:

Step 4: Recommend Next Steps

Based on current level, recommend:

At In-Loop:

• Start with Out-Loop for chores
• Build workflow automation
• Establish review process

At Out-Loop:

• Track review catch rate
• Build confidence with simple tasks
• Consider ZTE for high-confidence areas

Near ZTE:

• Enable for chores first
• Expand progressively
• Monitor continuously

Key Memory References

• @zte-progression.md - Three levels definition
• @zte-confidence-building.md - Building ZTE confidence
• @agentic-kpis.md - KPI tracking
• @composable-primitives.md - Workflow building blocks

Output Format

Provide assessment:

## ZTE Assessment

**Current Level:** [In-Loop | Out-Loop | ZTE]
**Problem Classes Assessed:** [chores, bugs, features]

### Indicators Found
- [Evidence of current level]

### Blockers to Progression
- [Identified blockers]

### Recommendations
1. [Specific next step]
2. [Specific next step]

### Target Timeline
- [Realistic progression timeline]

Anti-Patterns to Identify

• Skipping levels (Out-Loop before tests exist)
• All-or-nothing thinking (must ZTE everything)
• Ignoring failure signals (pushing forward despite issues)
• Review theater (reviewing without catching anything)

Version History

• v1.0.0 (2025-12-26): Initial release

Last Updated

Date: 2025-12-26 Model: claude-opus-4-5-20251101