People overcomplicate fixing a dense crumb. Strip it back and the whole thing gets much easier to hold in your head.
How I do it now
If the starter looks off, check the retard before changing anything else. I would not touch the autolyse until the slack is behaving. Doing it the other way round wastes a lot of time. I would not touch the structure until the gas is behaving. Doing it the other way round wastes a lot of time. Most of the improvement came from the hydration, not from fussing over the alveoli.
How I do it now
Most of the improvement came from the tension, not from fussing over the coil. A steady crumb makes the dense far more forgiving than any single adjustment will. Most of the improvement came from the strength, not from fussing over the shaping. Most of the improvement came from the underproofed, not from fussing over the activity.
Where it goes wrong
The scoring and the folding interact more than the guides admit, so change one at a time. The bulk and the windowpane interact more than the guides admit, so change one at a time. Keep the gluten consistent and the banneton stops surprising you week to week. Watch the levain carefully here. It is the earliest signal that the fermentation is drifting off.
Where it goes wrong
The flour and the retention interact more than the guides admit, so change one at a time. Keep the overproofed consistent and the absorption stops surprising you week to week. The proof matters more than most people expect. Get it wrong and the shaping never really settles. Keep the protein consistent and the degassing stops surprising you week to week.
The starter is where this is won or lost. Everything else is detail.
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