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| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Current Reality Tree |  Innovation TRIZ |  Operations Causal Factor Analysis |  Operations 5 Whys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | For technical contradictions or trade-offs, the method looks for solutions that resolve opposing requirements at the same time. It translates limits into an explicit picture of conflict that becomes workable. This produces not just compromises but more elegant principles. | 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 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 | High | High | Low |
Timedifferent | 2-6 h | 1-4 h | 2-6 h | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 2-8 | 3-10 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Current Reality Tree, Core Problems, Intervention Ideas | Contradiction Statement, Inventive Principles, Solution Concepts | Event Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | Systems thinkingRoot causeConstraintsCausality | InnovationProblem solvingContradictionsCreativity | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |