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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 for Kepner-Tregoe
Operations
Kepner-Tregoe
Paper illustration of Cost of Delay with its method-specific working model.
Delivery
Cost of Delay
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 disturbance that's hard to pin down, the method cleanly separates problem, cause, and decision. It reduces mixing when symptoms allow several interpretations.Helps clarify scope, order, and delivery flow in concrete terms. It makes work, constraints, and sequence manageable. The result is captured as a Cost of Delay table and prioritization sequence.
Complexitydifferent
LowHighHigh
Timedifferent
15-30 min2-8 h90-180 min
Participantsdifferent
2-62-83-8
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshop
Outputdifferent
Root cause notes, CountermeasuresProblem Analysis, Decision Analysis, Risk PlanCoD Table, Prioritization Sequence
Tagsno overlap
Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving
Problem solvingRoot causeDecisionOperations
PrioritizationDeliveryEconomicsDecision
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Often compared together

Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

A3 Problem-Solving workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Operations
A3 Problem Solving
Paper illustration for Root Cause Analysis.
Operations
Root Cause Analysis
Paper illustration for 8D Problem Solving.
Operations
8D Problem Solving