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| Criterion |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Operations Causal Factor Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When research notes, feedback, or observations sit unconnected side by side, affinity diagramming sorts the raw material into solid themes. Many individual points turn into patterns that make decisions and opportunities clearer. | When a problem keeps recurring and the cause stays unclear, the method exposes the underlying mechanism. It separates symptom, guess, and robust explanation from one another. | For an event with a complicated course, the method breaks down the contributing factors along the timeline. It shows how conditions, decisions, and reactions together produce a course of events. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | High |
Timedifferent | 45–90 min | 1-4 h | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 3-8 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Event Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions |
Tags1 shared | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline |
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