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| Criterion | ![]() Architecture Architecture Decision Record | ![]() Agile Starfish Retrospective | ![]() Agile Mad Sad Glad | ![]() Agile Sailboat 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 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. | When a team's or workshop's mood needs to become readable, it structures emotional signals with little setup. It makes strain, relief, and sources of energy tangible. | When a team wants to read momentum, brakes, and risks together, it offers an easily understandable picture of the situation. It makes drive, obstacles, and headwind visible in the same picture. |
Complexitysame | Low | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 45-90 min | 30-60 min | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-3 | 4-12 | 3-10 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Starfish Board, Practice Changes, Experiments | Emotion Board, Themes, Action Items | Sailboat Board, Risks, Improvement Actions |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | RetrospectiveImprovementExperimentsTeam | RetrospectiveTeamReflection | RetrospectiveTeamImprovement |



