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| Criterion |  Decision Making Delphi Method |  Operations Root Cause Tree Analysis |  Decision Making Argument Mapping |  Operations Barrier Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When knowledge is distributed and direct dominance should be avoided, groups quickly fall under the sway of their opinion leaders. The Delphi Method gathers assessments iteratively and gradually brings expert judgments closer together. | 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. | When statements, evidence, and counterarguments get mixed up, a debate quickly loses its structure. Argument Mapping breaks a thesis down into its reasoning and makes visible what it really rests on. | For a risk that can only be managed through multiple layers of protection, the method examines the effectiveness of each barrier. It shows where safeguards are missing, too weak, or fail under real conditions. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-4 Wochen | 1-3 h | 1-3 h | 2-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 6-30 Experten | 2-8 | 1-8 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Expert Forecast, Consensus Range, Assumption Notes | Cause Tree, Evidence Notes, Countermeasures | Argument Map, Evidence Gaps, Decision Rationale | Barrier Inventory, Failure Analysis per Barrier, Action Backlog |
Tagsno overlap | ForecastingExpertsDecisionStrategy | Root causeTreeIncidentQuality | SensemakingDecisionRationale | Root causeSafetyIncident |