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| Criterion |  Innovation Design Thinking |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |  Operations Barrier Analysis |  Operations Root Cause Tree Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | For complex user problems with an uncertain cause, the method connects observation, interpretation, and experiment into a learning cycle. It keeps the focus on real needs and avoids premature solution language. This produces robust decisions for product and service. | 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 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. | 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 | High | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1 Tag bis mehrere Wochen | 30-60 min | 2-4 h | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 4-10 | 2-8 | 2-6 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Problem Statement, Prototype, Test Learnings | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog | Barrier Inventory, Failure Analysis per Barrier, Action Backlog | Cause Tree, Evidence Notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | InnovationPrototypeResearch | Root causeQualityOperations | Root causeSafetyIncident | Root causeTreeIncidentQuality |