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Criterion
Paper illustration of two considered options leading to a decision record with a marked status and visible consequences.
Architecture
Architecture Decision Record
A 5 Whys working surface connects an observable problem with evidenced causes, marked uncertainty and concrete countermeasures with ownership.
Operations
5 Whys
Incident Command workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
DevOps
Incident Command
Purposedifferent
An ADR permanently records an architecture decision with context, trade-offs, and consequence. It creates continuity for later changes because the decision path stays traceable.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.During an acute incident with several people involved, the method creates a clear leadership and communication structure. It reduces chaos when fast coordination and clean situational awareness are both needed at once.
Complexitydifferent
LowLowMedium
Timedifferent
15-45 min15-30 minAs needed
Participantsdifferent
1-32-64-15
Formatdifferent
AsyncWorkshopWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
ADR File, Decision Log, RationaleRoot cause notes, CountermeasuresIncident Log, Action Tracker, Stakeholder Updates
Tagsno overlap
ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance
Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving
IncidentOperationsReliability
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Often compared together

Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

A3 Problem-Solving workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Operations
A3 Problem Solving
Paper illustration for Kepner-Tregoe
Operations
Kepner-Tregoe
Paper illustration for Root Cause Analysis.
Operations
Root Cause Analysis