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| Criterion |  Operations Causal Factor Analysis |  Decision Making Delphi Method |  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. | When knowledge is distributed and direct dominance should be avoided, groups quickly fall under the sway of their opinion leaders. The Delphi Method gathers assessments iteratively and gradually brings expert judgments closer together. | 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 | High | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 2-6 h | 1-4 Wochen | 45-60 min | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 6-30 Experten | 2-8 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Event Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions | Expert Forecast, Consensus Range, Assumption Notes | Assumption map, Test backlog, Risk ranking | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline | ForecastingExpertsDecisionStrategy | AssumptionsRiskExperimentsValidation | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |