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| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Current Reality Tree |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Facilitation Alignment Mapping |  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 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 several people work toward one goal but hold different mental maps, Alignment Mapping makes the discrepancies visible. It arranges goals, assumptions, and priorities so shared direction becomes verifiable. | 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 | Medium | Medium | High |
Timedifferent | 2-6 h | 1-4 h | 1-2 h | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 3-8 | 4-12 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Current Reality Tree, Core Problems, Intervention Ideas | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions | Event Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions |
Tagsno overlap | Systems thinkingRoot causeConstraintsCausality | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline |