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| Criterion |  Product Discovery Context Canvas |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Operations 5 Whys |  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. | An ADR permanently records an architecture decision with context, trade-offs, and consequence. It creates continuity for later changes because the decision path stays traceable. | 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 | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | 15-45 min | 15-30 min | 1-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 1-3 | 2-6 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Context canvas, Open questions, Shared context notes | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan |
Tagsno overlap | ContextFramingRequirementsCanvas | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident |