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Criterion
A 5 Whys working surface connects an observable problem with evidenced causes, marked uncertainty and concrete countermeasures with ownership.
Operations
5 Whys
Paper illustration of a team retrospective with three separate Start, Stop, and Continue areas and a shared action list.
Agile
Start Stop Continue
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
Purposedifferent
For a single, hard-to-explain deviation, the method exposes the causal chain behind the visible symptom. It keeps the cause open until a controllable condition emerges instead of a mere description.When a team wants to deliberately adjust its working behavior, it makes habits visible and assessable. It focuses on concrete changes instead of diffuse mood.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.
Complexitysame
LowLowLow
Timedifferent
15-30 min30-60 min45–75 min
Participantsdifferent
2-63-12Team members involved
Formatsame
WorkshopWorkshopWorkshop
Outputdifferent
Root cause notes, CountermeasuresStart Stop Continue Board, Improvement Actions4Ls Board, Learning Themes, Improvement Actions
Tagsno overlap
Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving
RetrospectiveImprovementTeamReflection
RetrospectiveLearningReflectionTeam
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Often compared together

Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Paper illustration for Learning Review.
Operations
Learning Review
Paper illustration for Root Cause Analysis.
Operations
Root Cause Analysis
Paper illustration for Sailboat Retrospective
Agile
Sailboat Retrospective