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| Criterion |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Operations Change Analysis |  Operations 5 Whys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | ATAM helps teams weigh architecture decisions when quality goals compete. The team considers business goals, stakeholder expectations, and technical decisions together. The evaluation shows which risks need further investigation. | For a deviation after a change, the method isolates the influence of the altered condition. It narrows down which differences are relevant and which are just accompanying noise. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | High | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-4 h | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 45-120 min | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 2-6 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | Change Matrix, Cause Hypotheses, Validation Questions, Action List | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | ChangeRoot causeTroubleshootingComparison | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |