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| Criterion |  Operations After-Action Review |  Operations Process Mapping |  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. | With a confusing workflow that has many handoffs, the method makes the actual process visible. It shows where work is passed on, delayed, or duplicated, so improvement targets the right spots. | 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 | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | 1-3 h | 1-3 h | Up to 3 hours for a one-month Sprint; shorter Sprints are usually shorter |
Participantsdifferent | 3-12 | 3-10 | 3-10 | Scrum Team |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Lessons learned, Action items, Event summary | Process Map, Handoff List, Improvement Backlog | Learning Review Notes, System Factors, Improvement Actions | Improvement actions, Team agreements |
Tagsno overlap | LearningOperationsImprovement | ProcessOperationsImprovement | LearningRetrospectiveIncidentOperations | RetrospectiveImprovementLearning |