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| Criterion |  Operations 8D Problem Solving |  Decision Making Constraint Analysis |  Decision Making Decision Tree |  Operations 5 Whys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | For an acute quality or delivery problem, the method structures immediate protection and root cause work together. It keeps the situation stable while the actual cause is investigated cleanly. | When an initiative stalls, the limit often lies not in the idea but in hard or soft boundary conditions. Constraint Analysis separates these limits and shows which of them can actually be shaped. | For decisions with follow-on paths and dependencies, a linear comparison is often not enough. A Decision Tree shows how options branch under conditions and which consequences hang on each branch. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Low | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-6 Wochen | 30-90 min | 30-90 min | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | 4-10 | 2-8 | 1-6 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | 8D Report, Containment Plan, Root Cause Evidence, Corrective Action Plan | Constraint List, Hard/Soft Classification, Option Impact Notes, Decision Boundaries | Decision Tree, Option Map, Assumption List | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | QualityProblem solvingRoot cause | ConstraintsDecisionPlanningOptions | DecisionTreeOptions | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |