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| Criterion |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Operations ALPEN Method |
|---|---|---|---|
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 problem keeps recurring and the cause stays unclear, the method exposes the underlying mechanism. It separates symptom, guess, and robust explanation from one another. | With an overloaded day full of too many tasks, a realistic picture of the day emerges. The method connects estimating, deciding, and buffer thinking so planning fits available energy and time. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 30-60 min | 1-4 h | 10-20 min daily |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 3-8 | 1 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Async |
Outputdifferent | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Daily Plan, Time Estimates, Review Notes |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeQualityOperations | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | PlanningTime managementProductivityOperations |
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