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| Criterion |  UX Research Contextual Inquiry |  Architecture Request for Comments |  Decision Making Decision Rights Mapping |  Operations RACI Matrix |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When work processes are known only from accounts and the real context stays hidden, Contextual Inquiry makes behavior at the workplace visible. Observation and follow-up questions together show how people actually work, get interrupted, and improvise. | An RFC clarifies architecture context, options, and consequences. It structures technical context, alternatives, tradeoffs, open questions, and review feedback, and captures the result as an RFC document, reviewer comments, and a decision rationale. | In organizations with many stakeholders, it often blurs who actually decides and who is merely consulted. It separates options, evaluation criteria, and open risks. The result is captured as a Decision Rights matrix and an agreement. | With unclear responsibilities across several roles or areas, the method creates unambiguous accountability logic. It reduces friction because decision, execution, contribution, and information become separately visible. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-3 Wochen | 1-3 Wochen vom Draft bis zur Entscheidung | 90-180 min | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 4-12 Beobachtungen | 3-20 Reviewer | 4-12 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Field Notes, Workflow Insights, Pain Points | RFC document, Reviewer comments, Decision rationale, Follow-up ADR or tickets | Decision Rights Matrix, Agreement | RACI Matrix, Responsibility Map, Decision Notes |
Tagsno overlap | UX researchObservationContext | ArchitectureDecisionAsyncGovernance | DecisionGovernanceAlignmentResponsibility | RolesResponsibilityGovernanceOperations |