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| Criterion |  Operations Causal Factor Analysis |  Operations Barrier Analysis |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |  Operations Root Cause Tree Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 a problem has several possible contributing factors, the method sorts causes by cause areas. It prevents an initial hunch from blocking the view of other plausible drivers. | For a problem with several suspected causes, the method builds a causal structure instead of a mere list. It makes visible how causes connect and where the strongest points of leverage lie. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 2-6 h | 2-4 h | 30-60 min | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 2-6 | 2-8 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Event Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions | Barrier Inventory, Failure Analysis per Barrier, Action Backlog | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog | Cause Tree, Evidence Notes, Countermeasures |
Tags1 shared | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline | Root causeSafetyIncident | Root causeQualityOperations | Root causeTreeIncidentQuality |