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Selected:Hypothesis-Driven TroubleshootingRoot Cause Tree AnalysisFailure Mode and Effects AnalysisFishbone Diagram
| Criterion |  Engineering Hypothesis-Driven Troubleshooting |  Operations Root Cause Tree Analysis |  Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When systems fail unexpectedly, spontaneous attempts often produce more noise than insight. Hypothesis-driven Troubleshooting translates symptoms into testable assumptions and makes troubleshooting learnable. | For a problem with several suspected causes, the method builds a causal structure instead of a mere list. It makes visible how causes connect and where the strongest points of leverage lie. | For a process, product, or service with noticeable failure risks, the method assesses possible failure modes in advance. It directs attention to combinations of occurrence, effect, and detectability. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | High | Low |
Timedifferent | 30-240 min | 1-3 h | 2-6 h | 30-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-6 | 2-8 | 3-10 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Hypothesis Log, Test Plan, Evidence Notes, Diagnosis Summary | Cause Tree, Evidence Notes, Countermeasures | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog |
Tagsno overlap | TroubleshootingProblem solvingDiagnosis | Root causeTreeIncidentQuality | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause | Root causeQualityOperations |