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| Criterion |  Product Discovery Context Canvas |  Operations 5 Whys |  Architecture Architecture Communication Canvas |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When an environment of users, systems, and constraints is hard to grasp, it puts the context compactly on the table. It creates a clear reading of influence, boundary, and dependency. | 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. | The Architecture Communication Canvas plans architecture communication so the right people receive the right message. The method turns technical complexity into deliberate communication design. | 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 | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | 15-30 min | 60-120 min | 1-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 2-6 | 2-8 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Context canvas, Open questions, Shared context notes | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | Communication Canvas, Stakeholder Messages, Architecture Communication Plan | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan |
Tagsno overlap | ContextFramingRequirementsCanvas | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | ArchitectureCommunicationStakeholdersCanvas | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident |