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| Criterion |  Operations Causal Factor Analysis |  Operations Barrier Analysis |  Operations Family Tree Analysis |  Systems Thinking Current Reality Tree |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | For a series of incidents with a similar pattern, the method arranges individual events as branches of a common origin. It makes visible which conditions keep recurring. | A Current Reality Tree condenses many symptoms into a few causal chains. The method makes visible which core problems drive several negative effects at once. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Medium | Medium | High |
Timedifferent | 2-6 h | 2-4 h | 2-4 h | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 2-6 | 2-6 | 3-8 |
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 | Family Tree Diagram, Pattern Notes, Systemic Measures | Current Reality Tree, Core Problems, Intervention Ideas |
Tags1 shared | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline | Root causeSafetyIncident | Root causePatternsIncidentSystemic | Systems thinkingRoot causeConstraintsCausality |