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| Criterion |  Operations A3 Problem Solving |  Agile Sprint Retrospective |  DevOps Blameless Postmortem |  Operations 5 Whys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | For a complex deviation with several people involved, the method bundles problem, analysis, and decision onto one page. It creates a shared working space where causes, countermeasures, and follow-up fit together. | 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. | After an incident with damage or a near miss, the method creates a sober field for learning without assigning blame. It directs attention to the course of events, conditions, and effective countermeasures. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | Up to 3 hours for a one-month Sprint; shorter Sprints are usually shorter | 30-90 min | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-5 | Scrum Team | 3-12 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis | Improvement actions, Team agreements | Postmortem Doc, Action Items, Timeline | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations | RetrospectiveImprovementLearning | Site Reliability EngineeringIncidentLearningReliability | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |