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| Criterion | ![]() Architecture Architecture Decision Record | ![]() Operations Gemba Walk | ![]() Engineering Fault Isolation | ![]() Engineering Golden Path |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | When there is uncertainty about the real course of a process, the method brings observation to the place where work happens. It combines perception, follow-up questions, and process knowledge so decisions rest on actual workflows instead of assumptions. | 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. | When teams need a reliable default path for frequent use, sprawl quickly emerges without any guiding logic. Golden Path bundles the preferred path so good practice becomes easy and deviation becomes deliberate. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 30-120 min | 30-180 min | 1-3 Tage Setup, laufend |
Participantsdifferent | 1-3 | 2-6 | 1-6 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Observation Notes, Improvement Ideas | Fault Isolation Map, Test Log, Excluded Hypotheses, Narrowed Fault Area | Golden Path Guide, Templates, Quality Checks |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | LeanObservationProcessOperations | TroubleshootingDiagnosisEngineering | EngineeringProductivityGovernance |



