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Criterion
Paper illustration for Kepner-Tregoe
Operations
Kepner-Tregoe
Paper illustration of an assumption matrix with prioritized test cards
Decision Making
Assumption Surfacing
Paper illustration for Root Cause Analysis.
Operations
Root Cause Analysis
Purposedifferent
For a disturbance that's hard to pin down, the method cleanly separates problem, cause, and decision. It reduces mixing when symptoms allow several interpretations.Plans often contain assumptions that were never openly stated and remain dangerous precisely because of that. Assumption Surfacing makes these silent premises visible and prioritizes which of them carry the initiative or could sink it.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
HighLowMedium
Timedifferent
2-8 h45-90 min1-4 h
Participantsdifferent
2-82-83-8
Formatsame
Workshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Problem Analysis, Decision Analysis, Risk PlanAssumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning PlanProblem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan
Tagsno overlap
Problem solvingRoot causeDecisionOperations
AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery
Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident
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Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Paper illustration for Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
Operations
Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
Paper illustration for 8D Problem Solving.
Operations
8D Problem Solving
Paper fishbone diagram with a measurable effect at the head and six labeled cause branches.
Operations
Fishbone Diagram