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| Criterion |  Operations 5 Whys |  Operations Kepner-Tregoe |  Agile WSJF |  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. | When many tasks compete for the same capacity, it orders work by economic impact. It makes time lost, benefit, and effort comparable together. | 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 | Low | High | High | High |
Timedifferent | 15-30 min | 2-8 h | 45-90 min | 90-180 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-6 | 2-8 | 3-10 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | Problem Analysis, Decision Analysis, Risk Plan | Ranked Backlog, Cost-of-Delay Assumptions | CoD Table, Prioritization Sequence |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | Problem solvingRoot causeDecisionOperations | LeanEconomicsSequencePrioritization | PrioritizationDeliveryEconomicsDecision |