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| Criterion |  Engineering Fault Isolation |  Operations Causal Factor Analysis |  Business Strategy Value Chain Analysis |  Operations 5 Whys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | In technical failures, the visible symptom often gets mixed up with the actual cause. Fault Isolation narrows the fault space and progressively reduces which part of the system is truly affected. | 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. | Value Chain Analysis shows where value is created, costs accrue, and differentiation becomes possible along the process. It compares strengths, risks, market logic, and courses of action. The result is captured as a value-chain map and lever list. | 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 | High | High | Low |
Timedifferent | 30-180 min | 2-6 h | Half day | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-6 | 3-10 | 3-8 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Fault Isolation Map, Test Log, Excluded Hypotheses, Narrowed Fault Area | Event Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions | Value Chain Map, Lever List | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | TroubleshootingDiagnosisEngineering | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline | StrategyBusiness modelDiagnosisAnalysis | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |