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| Criterion |  Operations Causal Factor Analysis |  Innovation Reverse Brainstorming |  Innovation Morphological Analysis |  Innovation Lotus Blossom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 persistent errors or blockages, the method shifts the view to the opposite of the desired effect. It exposes the mechanics of failure and makes hidden causes easier to grasp. This makes improvement more concrete and the problem clearer. | For a search for solutions with many degrees of freedom, a grid emerges for systematic combinations. The method separates features, variants, and exclusion criteria, so the space gets explored deliberately. | When a central question feels too large, the method breaks it into neighboring topic fields with their own depth of ideation. It holds structure and openness at the same time, so adjacent perspectives don't get lost. This grows an idea space out of a core problem. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Low | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 2-6 h | 30-60 min | 1-3 h | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 3-12 | 2-8 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Event Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions | Reverse Ideas, Risk Themes, Solution Ideas | Morphological Box, Concept Combinations, Idea Shortlist | Lotus Diagram, Idea Themes, Shortlist |
Tagsno overlap | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline | BrainstormingIdeationCreativityRisk | IdeationInnovationCreativity | BrainstormingIdeationCreativityDivergenceWorkshop |