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| Criterion |  Operations Causal Factor Analysis |  Operations 5 Whys |  Agile Affinity Estimation |
|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | 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 many tasks need to be classified quickly, it sorts them by perceived effort and similarity. It reduces the effort of fine-grained estimation for large volumes. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 2-6 h | 15-30 min | 30-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 2-6 | 3-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Event Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | Affinity Size Map, Grouped Estimates, Unclear Items |
Tagsno overlap | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | EstimationBacklogRelative sizing |
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