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| Criterion |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |  Architecture Request for Comments |  Operations 5 Whys |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When research notes, feedback, or observations sit unconnected side by side, affinity diagramming sorts the raw material into solid themes. Many individual points turn into patterns that make decisions and opportunities clearer. | An RFC clarifies architecture context, options, and consequences. It structures technical context, alternatives, tradeoffs, open questions, and review feedback, and captures the result as an RFC document, reviewer comments, and a decision rationale. | 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 | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 45–90 min | 1-3 Wochen vom Draft bis zur Entscheidung | 15-30 min | 1-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 3-20 Reviewer | 2-6 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | RFC document, Reviewer comments, Decision rationale, Follow-up ADR or tickets | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan |
Tagsno overlap | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | ArchitectureDecisionAsyncGovernance | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident |