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Criterion
A 5 Whys working surface connects an observable problem with evidenced causes, marked uncertainty and concrete countermeasures with ownership.
Operations
5 Whys
Paper illustration of a yellow story card, blue rule cards, green example cards and a red question card on a light workspace.
Agile
Example Mapping
Paper illustration for Causal Factor Analysis.
Operations
Causal Factor 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 story carries business rules and exceptions, it brings clarity before implementation. It makes examples, open questions, and boundaries visible enough that the logic becomes jointly sound.For an event with a complicated course, the method breaks down the contributing factors along the timeline. It shows how conditions, decisions, and reactions together produce a course of events.
Complexitydifferent
LowLowHigh
Timedifferent
15-30 min30-60 min2-6 h
Participantsdifferent
2-63-73-10
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshopWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Root cause notes, CountermeasuresExample Map, Acceptance Criteria, Open QuestionsEvent Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions
Tagsno overlap
Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving
Behavior-Driven DevelopmentRequirementsExamplesRefinement
CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline
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Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Paper illustration of Acceptance Criteria Workshop with a method-specific labelled workspace.
Agile
Acceptance Criteria Workshop
Paper illustration for Root Cause Analysis.
Operations
Root Cause Analysis
Paper illustration of Specification by Example with a method-specific labelled workspace.
Agile
Specification by Example
Paper illustration for 8D Problem Solving.
Operations
8D Problem Solving