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| Criterion | ![]() Operations Causal Factor Analysis | ![]() Facilitation Consensus Workshop | ![]() Operations Barrier Analysis | ![]() Facilitation Alignment Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | When a group needs a solid decision without outvoting individual factions, a Consensus Workshop creates a negotiable common ground. It makes agreement, reservations, and open tensions discussable at the same time. | 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 several people work toward one goal but hold different mental maps, Alignment Mapping makes the discrepancies visible. It arranges goals, assumptions, and priorities so shared direction becomes verifiable. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 2-6 h | 1-3 h | 2-4 h | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 5-30 | 2-6 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Event Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions | Consensus Clusters, Theme Titles, Priority Areas | Barrier Inventory, Failure Analysis per Barrier, Action Backlog | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions |
Tagsno overlap | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline | FacilitationConsensusWorkshopAlignment | Root causeSafetyIncident | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation |



