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| Criterion |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Engineering Fault Isolation |  Operations 5 Whys |
|---|---|---|---|
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. | In technical failures, the visible symptom often gets mixed up with the actual cause. Fault Isolation narrows the fault space and progressively reduces which part of the system is truly affected. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 30-180 min | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-3 | 1-6 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Fault Isolation Map, Test Log, Excluded Hypotheses, Narrowed Fault Area | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | TroubleshootingDiagnosisEngineering | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |
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