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| Criterion |  Operations Fault Tree Analysis |  Decision Making Trade-off Analysis |  Operations Barrier Analysis |  Decision Making Decision Matrix |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | For a critical top event with several possible triggers, the method logically models failure paths. It makes visible which combinations of conditions can lead to damage. | With limited resources, quality, speed, cost, and risk almost always compete with each other. Trade-off Analysis makes these tensions explicit and prevents decisions from producing hidden side effects. | 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. | When several options collide with several criteria, comparison quickly becomes subjective. A Decision Matrix makes the trade-off visible and brings weighting, criteria, and options into a shared logic. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 2-6 h | 45-120 min | 2-4 h | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 2-8 | 2-6 | 2-8 |
Formatsame | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Fault Tree, Critical Paths, Cause Hypotheses, Control Actions | Trade-off Matrix, Criteria List, Decision Rationale, Accepted Downsides | Barrier Inventory, Failure Analysis per Barrier, Action Backlog | Decision Matrix, Scoring Rationale, Selected Option |
Tagsno overlap | RiskRoot causeSafety | TradeoffsDecisionCriteriaOptions | Root causeSafetyIncident | DecisionCriteriaScoringTradeoffs |