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Criterion
Paper illustration of two considered options leading to a decision record with a marked status and visible consequences.
Architecture
Architecture Decision Record
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 a team retrospective with three separate Start, Stop, and Continue areas and a shared action list.
Agile
Start Stop Continue
Paper illustration for Starfish Retrospective
Agile
Starfish Retrospective
Purposedifferent
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 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.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.
Complexitysame
LowLowLowLow
Timedifferent
15-45 min45–75 min30-60 min45-90 min
Participantsdifferent
1-3Team members involved3-124-12
Formatdifferent
AsyncWorkshopWorkshopWorkshop
Outputdifferent
ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale4Ls Board, Learning Themes, Improvement ActionsStart Stop Continue Board, Improvement ActionsStarfish Board, Practice Changes, Experiments
Tagsno overlap
ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance
RetrospectiveLearningReflectionTeam
RetrospectiveImprovementTeamReflection
RetrospectiveImprovementExperimentsTeam
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