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| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Evaporating Cloud |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |  Operations Causal Factor Analysis |  Operations Root Cause Tree Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | The method makes visible why two seemingly incompatible demands arise and which assumption must be tested to resolve the conflict. | 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 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 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 | 60-120 min | 30-60 min | 2-6 h | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 2-8 | 3-10 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Conflict Cloud, Assumption List, Breakthrough Ideas, Next Experiments | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog | Event Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions | Cause Tree, Evidence Notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | Theory of ConstraintsAssumptionsSystems thinking | Root causeQualityOperations | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline | Root causeTreeIncidentQuality |