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Criterion
Visual Management workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Operations
Visual Management
Paper illustration of Request for Comments (RFC) with its method-specific working model.
Architecture
Request for Comments
A 5 Whys working surface connects an observable problem with evidenced causes, marked uncertainty and concrete countermeasures with ownership.
Operations
5 Whys
Paper illustration for Root Cause Analysis.
Operations
Root Cause Analysis
Purposedifferent
With high tempo and many parallel topics, the method makes status, deviations, and priorities visible at a glance. It reduces search effort and prevents what matters from getting lost in daily work.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.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
LowMediumLowMedium
Timedifferent
Ongoing1-3 Wochen vom Draft bis zur Entscheidung15-30 min1-4 h
Participantsdifferent
1-203-20 Reviewer2-63-8
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncAsyncWorkshopWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Visual Board, Status Indicators, Exception CuesRFC document, Reviewer comments, Decision rationale, Follow-up ADR or ticketsRoot cause notes, CountermeasuresProblem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan
Tagsno overlap
SignalsOperationsVisual management
ArchitectureDecisionAsyncGovernance
Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving
Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident
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