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| Criterion |  Decision Making Decision Tree |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |  Operations Kepner-Tregoe |  Operations Root Cause Tree Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | For decisions with follow-on paths and dependencies, a linear comparison is often not enough. A Decision Tree shows how options branch under conditions and which consequences hang on each branch. | 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. | For a disturbance that's hard to pin down, the method cleanly separates problem, cause, and decision. It reduces mixing when symptoms allow several interpretations. | For a problem with several suspected causes, the method builds a causal structure instead of a mere list. It makes visible how causes connect and where the strongest points of leverage lie. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 30-90 min | 30-60 min | 2-8 h | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 1-6 | 2-8 | 2-8 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Decision Tree, Option Map, Assumption List | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog | Problem Analysis, Decision Analysis, Risk Plan | Cause Tree, Evidence Notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | DecisionTreeOptions | Root causeQualityOperations | Problem solvingRoot causeDecisionOperations | Root causeTreeIncidentQuality |