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| Criterion |  Operations Family Tree Analysis |  Innovation Design Thinking |  Operations Causal Factor Analysis |  Systems Thinking Current Reality Tree |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | For a series of incidents with a similar pattern, the method arranges individual events as branches of a common origin. It makes visible which conditions keep recurring. | 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. | 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. | A Current Reality Tree condenses many symptoms into a few causal chains. The method makes visible which core problems drive several negative effects at once. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | High | High | High |
Timedifferent | 2-4 h | 1 Tag bis mehrere Wochen | 2-6 h | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-6 | 4-10 | 3-10 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Family Tree Diagram, Pattern Notes, Systemic Measures | Problem Statement, Prototype, Test Learnings | Event Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions | Current Reality Tree, Core Problems, Intervention Ideas |
Tagsno overlap | Root causePatternsIncidentSystemic | InnovationPrototypeResearch | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline | Systems thinkingRoot causeConstraintsCausality |