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Criterion
A structured reflection surfaces what was liked, learned, lacked, and longed for. It is a conversation format and does not validate actions automatically.
Agile
4Ls Retrospective
Paper illustration of two considered options leading to a decision record with a marked status and visible consequences.
Architecture
Architecture Decision Record
The Scrum Team inspects people, interactions, processes, tools, and the Definition of Done, then agrees on a few testable improvements.
Agile
Sprint Retrospective
Paper illustration for Sailboat Retrospective
Agile
Sailboat Retrospective
Purposedifferent
When a sprint should not only be assessed but also learned from, it captures experience in clear learning categories. It records what worked, what's missing, and what should run differently next time.An ADR permanently records an architecture decision with context, trade-offs, and consequence. It creates continuity for later changes because the decision path stays traceable.When a sprint is over and friction shouldn't simply be carried forward, it opens the view onto collaboration and patterns. It creates space to see causes and changes together.When a team wants to read momentum, brakes, and risks together, it offers an easily understandable picture of the situation. It makes drive, obstacles, and headwind visible in the same picture.
Complexitysame
LowLowLowLow
Timedifferent
45–75 min15-45 minUp to 3 hours for a one-month Sprint; shorter Sprints are usually shorter45-90 min
Participantsdifferent
Team members involved1-3Scrum Team4-12
Formatdifferent
WorkshopAsyncWorkshopWorkshop
Outputdifferent
4Ls Board, Learning Themes, Improvement ActionsADR File, Decision Log, RationaleImprovement actions, Team agreementsSailboat Board, Risks, Improvement Actions
Tagsno overlap
RetrospectiveLearningReflectionTeam
ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance
RetrospectiveImprovementLearning
RetrospectiveTeamImprovement
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