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| Criterion |  Operations After-Action Review |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Operations 5 Whys |
|---|---|---|---|
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. | ATAM helps teams weigh architecture decisions when quality goals compete. The team considers business goals, stakeholder expectations, and technical decisions together. The evaluation shows which risks need further investigation. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | High | Low |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-12 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Lessons learned, Action items, Event summary | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | LearningOperationsImprovement | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |
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Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.
