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| Criterion |  Operations Accountability Ladder |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Operations 5 Whys |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | With defensive reactions to problems, the method shifts the view from justification to ownership. It makes visible which reaction stage a person or team is currently stuck on. | ATAM helps teams weigh architecture decisions when quality goals compete. The team considers business goals, stakeholder expectations, and technical decisions together. The evaluation shows which risks need further investigation. | For a single, hard-to-explain deviation, the method exposes the causal chain behind the visible symptom. It keeps the cause open until a controllable condition emerges instead of a mere description. | When a problem keeps recurring and the cause stays unclear, the method exposes the underlying mechanism. It separates symptom, guess, and robust explanation from one another. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | High | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 15-30 min | 1-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 1-8 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 2-6 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Ownership Reflection, Action Commitment, Coaching Notes | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan |
Tagsno overlap | ResponsibilityLeadershipTeam | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident |