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| Criterion |  Operations Causal Factor Analysis |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Agile 4Ls Retrospective |  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 a problem keeps recurring and the cause stays unclear, the method exposes the underlying mechanism. It separates symptom, guess, and robust explanation from one another. | When a sprint should not only be assessed but also learned from, it captures experience in clear learning categories. It records what worked, what's missing, and what should run differently next time. | 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 | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 2-6 h | 1-4 h | 45–75 min | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 3-8 | Team members involved | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Event Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | 4Ls Board, Learning Themes, Improvement Actions | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | RetrospectiveLearningReflectionTeam | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |