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| Criterion |  Operations Kepner-Tregoe |  Facilitation Decision Jam |  Operations 5 Whys |  Operations Barrier 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. | When a decision is stuck, Decision Jam loosens the knot through structured separation of problem, idea, and selection. The format creates movement without jumping prematurely at the first seemingly elegant answer. | For a single, hard-to-explain deviation, the method exposes the causal chain behind the visible symptom. It keeps the cause open until a controllable condition emerges instead of a mere description. | 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 | High | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 2-8 h | 60-90 min | 15-30 min | 2-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 4-10 | 2-6 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Problem Analysis, Decision Analysis, Risk Plan | Problem Cluster, Prioritized Challenge, Experiment | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | Barrier Inventory, Failure Analysis per Barrier, Action Backlog |
Tagsno overlap | Problem solvingRoot causeDecisionOperations | FacilitationDecisionProblem solvingWorkshop | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | Root causeSafetyIncident |