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Selected:Failure Mode and Effects AnalysisArchitecture Decision RecordBarrier AnalysisRoot Cause Analysis
| Criterion |  Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Operations Barrier Analysis |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | For a process, product, or service with noticeable failure risks, the method assesses possible failure modes in advance. It directs attention to combinations of occurrence, effect, and detectability. | 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 risk that can only be managed through multiple layers of protection, the method examines the effectiveness of each barrier. It shows where safeguards are missing, too weak, or fail under real conditions. | 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 | High | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 2-6 h | 15-45 min | 2-4 h | 1-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 1-3 | 2-6 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Barrier Inventory, Failure Analysis per Barrier, Action Backlog | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan |
Tagsno overlap | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | Root causeSafetyIncident | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident |