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| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Causal Loop Diagram |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Systems Thinking Current Reality Tree |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | A Causal Loop Diagram makes feedback, reinforcement, and balance in a system legible. It uncovers side effects and self-reinforcement that stay hidden in linear explanations. | 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. | 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. | 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 | Medium | Low | Medium | High |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | 30-60 min | 1-4 h | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 2-8 | 3-8 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Causal Loop Diagram, Feedback Notes, Leverage Points | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Current Reality Tree, Core Problems, Intervention Ideas |
Tagsno overlap | FeedbackSystems thinkingCausalityDynamics | Root causeQualityOperations | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | Systems thinkingRoot causeConstraintsCausality |