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| Criterion |  Decision Making Decision Tree |  Engineering Hypothesis-Driven Troubleshooting |  Operations Kepner-Tregoe |  Operations 5 Whys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 systems fail unexpectedly, spontaneous attempts often produce more noise than insight. Hypothesis-driven Troubleshooting translates symptoms into testable assumptions and makes troubleshooting learnable. | 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 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 | Medium | Medium | High | Low |
Timedifferent | 30-90 min | 30-240 min | 2-8 h | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-6 | 1-6 | 2-8 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Decision Tree, Option Map, Assumption List | Hypothesis Log, Test Plan, Evidence Notes, Diagnosis Summary | Problem Analysis, Decision Analysis, Risk Plan | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | DecisionTreeOptions | TroubleshootingProblem solvingDiagnosis | Problem solvingRoot causeDecisionOperations | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |