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| Criterion | ![]() Operations 5 Whys | ![]() Delivery Value Stream Mapping | ![]() Decision Making Decision Matrix | ![]() Decision Making Trade-off 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 delivery work dissolves into wait times, handoffs, and hidden effort, Value Stream Mapping makes the actual flow visible. The method exposes bottlenecks, idle time, and feedback loops so lead time and improvement levers become tangible. | When several options collide with several criteria, comparison quickly becomes subjective. A Decision Matrix makes the trade-off visible and brings weighting, criteria, and options into a shared logic. | With limited resources, quality, speed, cost, and risk almost always compete with each other. Trade-off Analysis makes these tensions explicit and prevents decisions from producing hidden side effects. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 15-30 min | 1-3 h | 45-90 min | 45-120 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-6 | 4-10 | 2-8 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | Current-state map, Future-state map, Bottleneck list | Decision Matrix, Scoring Rationale, Selected Option | Trade-off Matrix, Criteria List, Decision Rationale, Accepted Downsides |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | LeanFlowWasteDelivery | DecisionCriteriaScoringTradeoffs | TradeoffsDecisionCriteriaOptions |



