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Criterion
Paper illustration for Mad Sad Glad
Agile
Mad Sad Glad
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 of two considered options leading to a decision record with a marked status and visible consequences.
Architecture
Architecture Decision Record
Purposedifferent
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 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.An ADR permanently records an architecture decision with context, trade-offs, and consequence. It creates continuity for later changes because the decision path stays traceable.
Complexitysame
LowLowLow
Timedifferent
30-60 min45–75 min15-45 min
Participantsdifferent
3-10Team members involved1-3
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshopAsync
Outputdifferent
Emotion Board, Themes, Action Items4Ls Board, Learning Themes, Improvement ActionsADR File, Decision Log, Rationale
Tagsno overlap
RetrospectiveTeamReflection
RetrospectiveLearningReflectionTeam
ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance
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Often compared together

Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Paper illustration of a team retrospective with three separate Start, Stop, and Continue areas and a shared action list.
Agile
Start Stop Continue
Paper illustration for Learning Review.
Operations
Learning Review
Paper illustration of Request for Comments (RFC) with its method-specific working model.
Architecture
Request for Comments