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| Criterion |  Operations After-Action Review |  Operations Gemba Walk |  Operations Learning Review |  Agile Sprint Retrospective |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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 there is uncertainty about the real course of a process, the method brings observation to the place where work happens. It combines perception, follow-up questions, and process knowledge so decisions rest on actual workflows instead of assumptions. | 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. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | 30-120 min | 1-3 h | Up to 3 hours for a one-month Sprint; shorter Sprints are usually shorter |
Participantsdifferent | 3-12 | 2-6 | 3-10 | Scrum Team |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Lessons learned, Action items, Event summary | Observation Notes, Improvement Ideas | Learning Review Notes, System Factors, Improvement Actions | Improvement actions, Team agreements |
Tagsno overlap | LearningOperationsImprovement | LeanObservationProcessOperations | LearningRetrospectiveIncidentOperations | RetrospectiveImprovementLearning |