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| Criterion | ![]() Operations Theory of Constraints | ![]() Operations After-Action Review | ![]() Agile Sprint Retrospective | ![]() Operations Process Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | For a system that does not get faster despite effort, the method directs attention to the bottleneck. It concentrates improvement on the point that actually limits throughput. | After missions or project phases with unclear outcomes, the method makes visible what actually happened and what can be learned from it. It separates course, effect, and causes so experience turns into solid improvement. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 2-4 h Analyse, laufend | 20-45 min | Up to 3 hours for a one-month Sprint; shorter Sprints are usually shorter | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-12 | 3-12 | Scrum Team | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Constraint Map, Improvement Plan, Flow Metrics | Lessons learned, Action items, Event summary | Improvement actions, Team agreements | Process Map, Handoff List, Improvement Backlog |
Tags1 shared | OperationsConstraintsFlowImprovement | LearningOperationsImprovement | RetrospectiveImprovementLearning | ProcessOperationsImprovement |



