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| Criterion | ![]() Operations A3 Problem Solving | ![]() Agile Starfish Retrospective | ![]() Operations Fishbone Diagram | ![]() Operations 8D Problem Solving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | For a complex deviation with several people involved, the method bundles problem, analysis, and decision onto one page. It creates a shared working space where causes, countermeasures, and follow-up fit together. | When improvement options need to be sorted more finely than just start and stop, it brings observations into clear kinds of action. This makes visible what should be done more, less, newly, or continued. | When a problem has several possible contributing factors, the method sorts causes by cause areas. It prevents an initial hunch from blocking the view of other plausible drivers. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Low | High |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | 45-90 min | 30-60 min | 1-6 Wochen |
Participantsdifferent | 2-5 | 4-12 | 2-8 | 4-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis | Starfish Board, Practice Changes, Experiments | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog | 8D Report, Containment Plan, Root Cause Evidence, Corrective Action Plan |
Tagsno overlap | LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations | RetrospectiveImprovementExperimentsTeam | Root causeQualityOperations | QualityProblem solvingRoot cause |



