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Criterion
Paper fishbone diagram with a measurable effect at the head and six labeled cause branches.
Operations
Fishbone Diagram
Empathy Mapping
UX Research
Empathy Mapping
Paper illustration for Root Cause Analysis.
Operations
Root Cause 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.When a lot is assumed about a target group but little is seen jointly, empathy mapping makes knowledge and gaps directly comparable. The picture also shows which assumptions hold up and where evidence is missing.When a problem keeps recurring and the cause stays unclear, the method exposes the underlying mechanism. It separates symptom, guess, and robust explanation from one another.
Complexitydifferent
LowLowMedium
Timedifferent
30-60 min30–60 min1-4 h
Participantsdifferent
2-84-83-8
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshopWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation BacklogEmpathy Map, Assumptions List, Research GapsProblem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan
Tagsno overlap
Root causeQualityOperations
SynthesisQualitativeWorkshop
Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident
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Often compared together

Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Paper illustration for 8D Problem Solving.
Operations
8D Problem Solving
Affinity Diagramming
UX Research
Affinity Diagramming
Paper illustration for Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
Operations
Failure Mode and Effects Analysis