View methods side by side.
Choose up to four methods. Add them using the search and share the comparison by copying its link.
| Criterion |  Operations Barrier Analysis |  Decision Making Constraint Analysis |  Decision Making Pre-Mortem |  Operations Fault Tree Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | 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. | In early initiatives with many uncertainties, planning quickly turns too optimistic. A pre-mortem makes the expected failure visible in advance and sharpens the view of causes, gaps, and countermeasures. | For a critical top event with several possible triggers, the method logically models failure paths. It makes visible which combinations of conditions can lead to damage. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Low | High |
Timedifferent | 2-4 h | 30-90 min | 20–45 min | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-6 | 2-8 | Small cross-functional group | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Barrier Inventory, Failure Analysis per Barrier, Action Backlog | Constraint List, Hard/Soft Classification, Option Impact Notes, Decision Boundaries | Risk list, Mitigation plan, Assumption log | Fault Tree, Critical Paths, Cause Hypotheses, Control Actions |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeSafetyIncident | ConstraintsDecisionPlanningOptions | RiskDecisionFailurePlanning | RiskRoot causeSafety |