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| Criterion |  Operations 5 Whys |  Agile Affinity Estimation |  Operations Barrier Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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 many tasks need to be classified quickly, it sorts them by perceived effort and similarity. It reduces the effort of fine-grained estimation for large volumes. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 15-30 min | 30-90 min | 2-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-6 | 3-12 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | Affinity Size Map, Grouped Estimates, Unclear Items | Barrier Inventory, Failure Analysis per Barrier, Action Backlog |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | EstimationBacklogRelative sizing | Root causeSafetyIncident |
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