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| Criterion |  Operations 5 Whys |  Innovation Brainstorming |  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 a team faces an open question with many obvious directions, the method first creates breadth instead of premature commitment. It separates idea flow from evaluation and makes lines of thought visible, creating a pool for selection and further development. | 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 | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 15-30 min | 30-60 min | 2-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-6 | 4-12 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | Idea pool, Theme clusters, Shortlist | Barrier Inventory, Failure Analysis per Barrier, Action Backlog |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | BrainstormingIdeationCreativityWorkshopDivergence | Root causeSafetyIncident |
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Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.
