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| Criterion |  Innovation Brainstorming |  Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis |  Operations 5 Whys |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a team faces an open question with many obvious directions, the method first creates breadth instead of premature commitment. It separates idea flow from evaluation and makes lines of thought visible, creating a pool for selection and further development. | 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. | 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. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | High | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 30-60 min | 2-6 h | 15-30 min | 1-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 4-12 | 3-10 | 2-6 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Idea pool, Theme clusters, Shortlist | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan |
Tagsno overlap | BrainstormingIdeationCreativityWorkshopDivergence | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident |