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| Criterion |  Operations PDCA Cycle |  Agile Starfish Retrospective |  Operations Kaizen Event |  Agile 4Ls Retrospective |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | For an improvement that still has to prove itself in everyday work, the method runs it through small learning loops. It connects planning, checking, and standardization into a repeatable learning mode. | 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. | For a tightly scoped process segment with noticeable waste, the method bundles shared energy for change. It suits situations that call for fast learning loops and visible adjustments. | 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 | Low | Low | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1 h bis mehrere Wochen | 45-90 min | 0.5-5 Tage | 45–75 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-8 | 4-12 | 4-10 | Team members involved |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | PDCA Log, Experiment Plan, Learning Outcome, Standard Change | Starfish Board, Practice Changes, Experiments | Kaizen Charter, Waste List, Improvement Experiments, Standard Work Update | 4Ls Board, Learning Themes, Improvement Actions |
Tagsno overlap | Continuous improvementLeanExperiments | RetrospectiveImprovementExperimentsTeam | LeanContinuous improvementOperations | RetrospectiveLearningReflectionTeam |