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| Criterion |  Operations Theory of Constraints |  Agile Mad Sad Glad |  Agile 4Ls Retrospective |  Operations After-Action Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 2-4 h Analyse, laufend | 30-60 min | 45–75 min | 20-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-12 | 3-10 | Team members involved | 3-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Constraint Map, Improvement Plan, Flow Metrics | Emotion Board, Themes, Action Items | 4Ls Board, Learning Themes, Improvement Actions | Lessons learned, Action items, Event summary |
Tagsno overlap | OperationsConstraintsFlowImprovement | RetrospectiveTeamReflection | RetrospectiveLearningReflectionTeam | LearningOperationsImprovement |