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| Criterion |  Systems Thinking CATWOE Analysis |  Operations After-Action Review |  Agile Sprint Retrospective |  Agile 4Ls Retrospective |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | CATWOE structures a problem from six viewpoints and prevents too narrow a view of the situation. Different experiences of the system become comparably discussable this way. | 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. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | 20-45 min | Up to 3 hours for a one-month Sprint; shorter Sprints are usually shorter | 45–75 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 3-12 | Scrum Team | Team members involved |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | CATWOE Canvas, Root Definition, Stakeholder Perspectives, Constraints | Lessons learned, Action items, Event summary | Improvement actions, Team agreements | 4Ls Board, Learning Themes, Improvement Actions |
Tagsno overlap | Systems thinkingFramingStakeholders | LearningOperationsImprovement | RetrospectiveImprovementLearning | RetrospectiveLearningReflectionTeam |