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| Criterion |  Architecture Request for Comments |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Operations A3 Problem Solving |  Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | 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. | For a complex deviation with several people involved, the method bundles problem, analysis, and decision onto one page. It creates a shared working space where causes, countermeasures, and follow-up fit together. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Medium | High |
Timedifferent | 1-3 Wochen vom Draft bis zur Entscheidung | 1-4 h | 45-90 min | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-20 Reviewer | 3-8 | 2-5 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | RFC document, Reviewer comments, Decision rationale, Follow-up ADR or tickets | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureDecisionAsyncGovernance | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause |