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| Criterion | ![]() Operations 8D Problem Solving | ![]() Systems Thinking Evaporating Cloud | ![]() Operations Barrier Analysis | ![]() 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. | The method makes visible why two seemingly incompatible demands arise and which assumption must be tested to resolve the conflict. | 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. | 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 | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-6 Wochen | 60-120 min | 2-4 h | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | 4-10 | 2-8 | 2-6 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | 8D Report, Containment Plan, Root Cause Evidence, Corrective Action Plan | Conflict Cloud, Assumption List, Breakthrough Ideas, Next Experiments | Barrier Inventory, Failure Analysis per Barrier, Action Backlog | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | QualityProblem solvingRoot cause | Theory of ConstraintsAssumptionsSystems thinking | Root causeSafetyIncident | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |



