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| Criterion |  Operations Causal Factor Analysis |  Operations Barrier Analysis |  Product Discovery Assumption Mapping |  Operations 5 Whys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 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 assumptions still sit unordered in the room, it weighs uncertainty against leverage. It makes visible which hypotheses should be checked first. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 2-6 h | 2-4 h | 45-60 min | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 2-6 | 2-8 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Event Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions | Barrier Inventory, Failure Analysis per Barrier, Action Backlog | Assumption map, Test backlog, Risk ranking | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline | Root causeSafetyIncident | AssumptionsRiskExperimentsValidation | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |