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| Criterion |  DevOps Incident Timeline Analysis |  Delivery Value Stream Mapping |  Operations 5 Whys |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | For an incident with an unclear sequence, the method makes the timeline precisely visible. It separates perception, reaction, and delay so cause and effect become more clearly readable. | When delivery work dissolves into wait times, handoffs, and hidden effort, Value Stream Mapping makes the actual flow visible. The method exposes bottlenecks, idle time, and feedback loops so lead time and improvement levers become tangible. | 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 | Medium | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 60-180 min | 1-3 h | 15-30 min | 1-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 4-10 | 2-6 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Incident Timeline, Evidence Log, Delay Analysis, Improvement Actions | Current-state map, Future-state map, Bottleneck list | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan |
Tagsno overlap | IncidentTimelineSite Reliability Engineering | LeanFlowWasteDelivery | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident |