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| Criterion |  Operations 5 Whys |  Operations Barrier Analysis |  Engineering Hypothesis-Driven Troubleshooting |
|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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. | When systems fail unexpectedly, spontaneous attempts often produce more noise than insight. Hypothesis-driven Troubleshooting translates symptoms into testable assumptions and makes troubleshooting learnable. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 15-30 min | 2-4 h | 30-240 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-6 | 2-6 | 1-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | Barrier Inventory, Failure Analysis per Barrier, Action Backlog | Hypothesis Log, Test Plan, Evidence Notes, Diagnosis Summary |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | Root causeSafetyIncident | TroubleshootingProblem solvingDiagnosis |
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