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| Criterion |  Product Strategy Impact Mapping |  Operations Causal Factor Analysis |  Operations Root Cause Tree Analysis |  Operations Barrier Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a goal needs to be connected to several possible paths, it shows chains of impact instead of feature lists. It connects business goal, behavior change, and measures. | For an event with a complicated course, the method breaks down the contributing factors along the timeline. It shows how conditions, decisions, and reactions together produce a course of events. | 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 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | High | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | 2-6 h | 1-3 h | 2-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 3-10 | 2-8 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Impact Map, Outcome Hypotheses, Delivery Options | Event Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions | Cause Tree, Evidence Notes, Countermeasures | Barrier Inventory, Failure Analysis per Barrier, Action Backlog |
Tagsno overlap | OutcomesStrategyBehaviorPlanning | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline | Root causeTreeIncidentQuality | Root causeSafetyIncident |