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| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Current Reality Tree |  Product Strategy Counter Metrics |  Operations Bottleneck Analysis |  Operations Causal Factor Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | When a headline metric could mask side effects, it adds guardrail signals against unwanted outcomes. It connects customer value, product logic, and decision priorities. The result is captured as a counter-metric list and guardrail definitions. | For a flow that backs up at one point, the method looks for the capacity limit with the greatest leverage. It explains why extra effort elsewhere barely improves throughput. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Low | Medium | High |
Timedifferent | 2-6 h | 30-60 min | 1-3 h | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 2-6 | 3-8 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Current Reality Tree, Core Problems, Intervention Ideas | Counter Metric List, Guardrail Definitions | Bottleneck Map, Flow Metrics, Improvement Options, Follow-up Measures | Event Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions |
Tagsno overlap | Systems thinkingRoot causeConstraintsCausality | MetricsMeasurementStrategyExperiments | FlowMeasurementConstraints | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline |