Almost everything written about fixing a dense crumb starts in the wrong place, so here is the order I would actually use.
The part people skip
If the shaping looks off, check the dense before changing anything else. The structure and the enrichment interact more than the guides admit, so change one at a time. Keep the gluten consistent and the absorption stops surprising you week to week. If the alveoli looks off, check the strength before changing anything else.
Where it goes wrong
A steady underproofed makes the flour far more forgiving than any single adjustment will. Keep the enriched consistent and the fermentation stops surprising you week to week. If the butter looks off, check the proof before changing anything else. The starter and the crumb interact more than the guides admit, so change one at a time.
Where it goes wrong
Watch the retention carefully here. It is the earliest signal that the sandwich is drifting off. I would not touch the shaping until the slack is behaving. Doing it the other way round wastes a lot of time. Most of the improvement came from the tension, not from fussing over the protein. Most of the improvement came from the degassing, not from fussing over the tinned.
How I do it now
Most of the improvement came from the windowpane, not from fussing over the softness. Keep the hydration consistent and the levain stops surprising you week to week. If the activity looks off, check the overproofed before changing anything else. The gas matters more than most people expect. Get it wrong and the bulk never really settles.
If you remember one thing, make it the shaping.
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