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| Criterion |  Operations A3 Problem Solving |  Agile Start Stop Continue |  Agile Starfish Retrospective |  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 team wants to deliberately adjust its working behavior, it makes habits visible and assessable. It focuses on concrete changes instead of diffuse mood. | When improvement options need to be sorted more finely than just start and stop, it brings observations into clear kinds of action. This makes visible what should be done more, less, newly, or continued. | 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 | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | 30-60 min | 45-90 min | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-5 | 3-12 | 4-12 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis | Start Stop Continue Board, Improvement Actions | Starfish Board, Practice Changes, Experiments | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations | RetrospectiveImprovementTeamReflection | RetrospectiveImprovementExperimentsTeam | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |