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| Criterion |  Operations After-Action Review |  Operations 5 Whys |  DevOps Blameless Postmortem |  Operations Kepner-Tregoe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | After missions or project phases with unclear outcomes, the method makes visible what actually happened and what can be learned from it. It separates course, effect, and causes so experience turns into solid improvement. | 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. | After an incident with damage or a near miss, the method creates a sober field for learning without assigning blame. It directs attention to the course of events, conditions, and effective countermeasures. | For a disturbance that's hard to pin down, the method cleanly separates problem, cause, and decision. It reduces mixing when symptoms allow several interpretations. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Medium | High |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | 15-30 min | 30-90 min | 2-8 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-12 | 2-6 | 3-12 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Lessons learned, Action items, Event summary | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | Postmortem Doc, Action Items, Timeline | Problem Analysis, Decision Analysis, Risk Plan |
Tagsno overlap | LearningOperationsImprovement | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | Site Reliability EngineeringIncidentLearningReliability | Problem solvingRoot causeDecisionOperations |