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| Criterion | ![]() Systems Thinking CATWOE Analysis | ![]() Agile Sprint Retrospective | ![]() Agile Mad Sad Glad | ![]() Agile Starfish 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. | 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 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 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | Up to 3 hours for a one-month Sprint; shorter Sprints are usually shorter | 30-60 min | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | Scrum Team | 3-10 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | CATWOE Canvas, Root Definition, Stakeholder Perspectives, Constraints | Improvement actions, Team agreements | Emotion Board, Themes, Action Items | Starfish Board, Practice Changes, Experiments |
Tagsno overlap | Systems thinkingFramingStakeholders | RetrospectiveImprovementLearning | RetrospectiveTeamReflection | RetrospectiveImprovementExperimentsTeam |



