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| Criterion | ![]() Systems Thinking Polarity Mapping | ![]() Agile Starfish Retrospective | ![]() Agile Mad Sad Glad | ![]() Agile Sailboat Retrospective |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | Polarity Mapping makes tensions between two opposing poles tangible, such as standardization and adaptation or control and autonomy. The method guards against making apparent either-or decisions prematurely. | 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. | 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 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 | Medium | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h | 45-90 min | 30-60 min | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-12 | 4-12 | 3-10 | 4-12 |
Formatsame | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Polarity Map, Warning Signs, Balance Actions | Starfish Board, Practice Changes, Experiments | Emotion Board, Themes, Action Items | Sailboat Board, Risks, Improvement Actions |
Tagsno overlap | Systems thinkingTradeoffsLeadership | RetrospectiveImprovementExperimentsTeam | RetrospectiveTeamReflection | RetrospectiveTeamImprovement |



