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| Criterion |  Operations After-Action Review |  Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis |  Facilitation Dot Estimation |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | After missions or project phases with unclear outcomes, the method makes visible what actually happened and what can be learned from it. It separates course, effect, and causes so experience turns into solid improvement. | For a process, product, or service with noticeable failure risks, the method assesses possible failure modes in advance. It directs attention to combinations of occurrence, effect, and detectability. | When size or effort can only be estimated roughly, Dot Estimation condenses the group's experience into a quick range. It turns individual contributions into a visible selection. The result is captured as an Effort Heatmap, Risk Signals, and Discussion Targets. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | High | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | 2-6 h | 5-20 min | 30-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-12 | 3-10 | 3-20 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Lessons learned, Action items, Event summary | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions | Effort Heatmap, Risk Signals, Discussion Targets | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog |
Tagsno overlap | LearningOperationsImprovement | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause | EstimationEffortRisk | Root causeQualityOperations |