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| Criterion |  Operations Causal Factor Analysis |  Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis |  Operations Barrier Analysis |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 process, product, or service with noticeable failure risks, the method assesses possible failure modes in advance. It directs attention to combinations of occurrence, effect, and detectability. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | High | High | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 2-6 h | 2-6 h | 2-4 h | 30-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 3-10 | 2-6 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Event Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions | Barrier Inventory, Failure Analysis per Barrier, Action Backlog | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog |
Tags1 shared | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause | Root causeSafetyIncident | Root causeQualityOperations |