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| Criterion |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Operations After-Action Review |  Agile Sprint Retrospective |  Operations Learning Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | After missions or project phases with unclear outcomes, the method makes visible what actually happened and what can be learned from it. It separates course, effect, and causes so experience turns into solid improvement. | 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 a project phase with mixed results, the method makes learning from the individual case reusable. It connects events, decisions, and systemic conditions into robust insights. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 20-45 min | Up to 3 hours for a one-month Sprint; shorter Sprints are usually shorter | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 1-3 | 3-12 | Scrum Team | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Lessons learned, Action items, Event summary | Improvement actions, Team agreements | Learning Review Notes, System Factors, Improvement Actions |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | LearningOperationsImprovement | RetrospectiveImprovementLearning | LearningRetrospectiveIncidentOperations |