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Criterion
Paper illustration of Futures Wheel with its method-specific working model.
Systems Thinking
Futures Wheel
Paper illustration of a review with planned work, actual event sequence, comparison, and assigned improvement actions.
Operations
After-Action Review
A structured reflection surfaces what was liked, learned, lacked, and longed for. It is a conversation format and does not validate actions automatically.
Agile
4Ls Retrospective
Paper illustration for Sailboat Retrospective
Agile
Sailboat Retrospective
Purposedifferent
The Futures Wheel helps explore the consequences of a decision, a trend, or a strategic move in a structured way. It makes visible which first, second, and third-order effects could arise from an event.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 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.When a team wants to read momentum, brakes, and risks together, it offers an easily understandable picture of the situation. It makes drive, obstacles, and headwind visible in the same picture.
Complexitydifferent
MediumLowLowLow
Timedifferent
60-120 min20-45 min45–75 min45-90 min
Participantsdifferent
3-103-12Team members involved4-12
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshop
Outputdifferent
Futures Wheel, Consequence Chains, Strategic SignalsLessons learned, Action items, Event summary4Ls Board, Learning Themes, Improvement ActionsSailboat Board, Risks, Improvement Actions
Tagsno overlap
ForesightSystems thinkingSignals
LearningOperationsImprovement
RetrospectiveLearningReflectionTeam
RetrospectiveTeamImprovement
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