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| Criterion |  Engineering Fault Isolation |  Systems Thinking Current Reality Tree |  Systems Thinking Future Reality Tree |  Systems Thinking Causal Loop Diagram |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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. | A Future Reality Tree shows how desired actions are meant to lead to a better system state. The method checks whether a path of change holds together logically before time flows into implementation. | A Causal Loop Diagram makes feedback, reinforcement, and balance in a system legible. It uncovers side effects and self-reinforcement that stay hidden in linear explanations. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | High | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 30-180 min | 2-6 h | 2-4 h | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 1-6 | 3-8 | 3-8 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Fault Isolation Map, Test Log, Excluded Hypotheses, Narrowed Fault Area | Current Reality Tree, Core Problems, Intervention Ideas | Future Reality Tree, Negative Branches, Assumption List, Improved Injections | Causal Loop Diagram, Feedback Notes, Leverage Points |
Tagsno overlap | TroubleshootingDiagnosisEngineering | Systems thinkingRoot causeConstraintsCausality | Theory of ConstraintsSystems thinkingChange | FeedbackSystems thinkingCausalityDynamics |