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| Criterion | ![]() Systems Thinking Polarity Mapping | ![]() Agile Starfish Retrospective | ![]() Agile Sailboat Retrospective | ![]() Agile Mad Sad Glad |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 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. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h | 45-90 min | 45-90 min | 30-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-12 | 4-12 | 4-12 | 3-10 |
Formatsame | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Polarity Map, Warning Signs, Balance Actions | Starfish Board, Practice Changes, Experiments | Sailboat Board, Risks, Improvement Actions | Emotion Board, Themes, Action Items |
Tagsno overlap | Systems thinkingTradeoffsLeadership | RetrospectiveImprovementExperimentsTeam | RetrospectiveTeamImprovement | RetrospectiveTeamReflection |



