View methods side by side.
Choose up to four methods. Add them using the search and share the comparison by copying its link.
| Criterion |  DevOps Blameless Postmortem |  Innovation Lean Startup |  Agile 4Ls Retrospective |  Operations 5 Whys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | After an incident with damage or a near miss, the method creates a sober field for learning without assigning blame. It directs attention to the course of events, conditions, and effective countermeasures. | For uncertain business assumptions, the method forces the idea into contact with real market reactions early. It separates wishful picture, assumption, and observable behavior, so that learning becomes faster than planning. This translates uncertainty into measurable insight. | 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. | For a single, hard-to-explain deviation, the method exposes the causal chain behind the visible symptom. It keeps the cause open until a controllable condition emerges instead of a mere description. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 30-90 min | Wochen bis Monate je Lernzyklus | 45–75 min | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-12 | 2-8 | Team members involved | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Postmortem Doc, Action Items, Timeline | Hypothesis list, MVPs, Learning reports, Pivot or persevere decision | 4Ls Board, Learning Themes, Improvement Actions | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | Site Reliability EngineeringIncidentLearningReliability | LeanStartupValidationMVP | RetrospectiveLearningReflectionTeam | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |