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| Criterion |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  DevOps Incident Command |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |  Operations Root Cause Tree Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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. | When a problem has several possible contributing factors, the method sorts causes by cause areas. It prevents an initial hunch from blocking the view of other plausible drivers. | For a problem with several suspected causes, the method builds a causal structure instead of a mere list. It makes visible how causes connect and where the strongest points of leverage lie. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | As needed | 30-60 min | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 1-3 | 4-15 | 2-8 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Incident Log, Action Tracker, Stakeholder Updates | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog | Cause Tree, Evidence Notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | IncidentOperationsReliability | Root causeQualityOperations | Root causeTreeIncidentQuality |