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| Criterion |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Architecture arc42 |  Operations Root Cause Tree 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. | 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. | arc42 structures architecture knowledge so teams can document system, decisions, and risks consistently. The template builds a living understanding of the architecture instead of scattered notes. | 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 | 45–90 min | 1-4 h | 1-2 Tage | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 3-8 | 1-4 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Architecture Document, Context View, Runtime View, Deployment View | Cause Tree, Evidence Notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication | Root causeTreeIncidentQuality |