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Criterion
Paper fishbone diagram with a measurable effect at the head and six labeled cause branches.
Operations
Fishbone Diagram
A 5 Whys working surface connects an observable problem with evidenced causes, marked uncertainty and concrete countermeasures with ownership.
Operations
5 Whys
Paper illustration for Contradiction Analysis.
Innovation
Contradiction Analysis
Purposedifferent
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 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.When a system should improve while another measure suffers as a result, the method makes the underlying conflict precisely formulable. It separates the desired effect from its side effect. This makes solutions possible that address the contradiction deliberately instead of half-heartedly.
Complexitydifferent
LowLowMedium
Timedifferent
30-60 min15-30 min60-120 min
Participantsdifferent
2-82-62-8
Formatsame
WorkshopWorkshopWorkshop
Outputdifferent
Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation BacklogRoot cause notes, CountermeasuresContradiction Statement, Abstraction Notes, Solution Principles, Concept Ideas
Tagsno overlap
Root causeQualityOperations
Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving
ContradictionsInnovationProblem solving
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Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Paper illustration for Root Cause Analysis.
Operations
Root Cause Analysis
Paper illustration for 8D Problem Solving.
Operations
8D Problem Solving
A3 Problem-Solving workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Operations
A3 Problem Solving
Paper illustration for Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
Operations
Failure Mode and Effects Analysis