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Criterion
Paper illustration of Futures Wheel with its method-specific working model.
Systems Thinking
Futures Wheel
The Scrum Team inspects people, interactions, processes, tools, and the Definition of Done, then agrees on a few testable improvements.
Agile
Sprint Retrospective
Process Mapping method illustration showing its working structure
Operations
Process Mapping
Gemba Walk workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Operations
Gemba Walk
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.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.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.When there is uncertainty about the real course of a process, the method brings observation to the place where work happens. It combines perception, follow-up questions, and process knowledge so decisions rest on actual workflows instead of assumptions.
Complexitydifferent
MediumLowMediumLow
Timedifferent
60-120 minUp to 3 hours for a one-month Sprint; shorter Sprints are usually shorter1-3 h30-120 min
Participantsdifferent
3-10Scrum Team3-102-6
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshopWorkshop
Outputdifferent
Futures Wheel, Consequence Chains, Strategic SignalsImprovement actions, Team agreementsProcess Map, Handoff List, Improvement BacklogObservation Notes, Improvement Ideas
Tagsno overlap
ForesightSystems thinkingSignals
RetrospectiveImprovementLearning
ProcessOperationsImprovement
LeanObservationProcessOperations
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