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| Criterion | ![]() Operations Causal Factor Analysis | ![]() Innovation Design Sprint | ![]() 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. | When the product question is unclear and time pressure is high, the method takes a team from an open idea to a testable solution. It connects problem understanding, decision, and learning in one compact format, lowering the risk of spending a lot of energy on a mere guess. | 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 | High | Medium | High |
Timedifferent | 2-6 h | 4-5 Tage | 2-4 h | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 5-8 | 2-6 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Event Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions | Prototype, Test Findings, Decision Rationale | Family Tree Diagram, Pattern Notes, Systemic Measures | Current Reality Tree, Core Problems, Intervention Ideas |
Tagsno overlap | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline | Design sprintPrototypeValidationInnovation | Root causePatternsIncidentSystemic | Systems thinkingRoot causeConstraintsCausality |



