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| Criterion |  Operations 5 Whys |  Product Discovery Opportunity Scoring |  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 opportunities need ranking by their effect, it makes importance and satisfaction directly comparable. It separates problem, assumption, solution, and evidence. The result is captured as an opportunity-score table and top outcomes. | 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 | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 15-30 min | 60-120 min | 2-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-6 | 3-6 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | Opportunity Score Table, Top Outcomes | Barrier Inventory, Failure Analysis per Barrier, Action Backlog |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | PrioritizationDiscoveryOutcomesNeeds | Root causeSafetyIncident |
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