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| Criterion |  Operations Kepner-Tregoe |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |  Innovation TRIZ |  Operations Failure Mode and Effects 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 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. | For technical contradictions or trade-offs, the method looks for solutions that resolve opposing requirements at the same time. It translates limits into an explicit picture of conflict that becomes workable. This produces not just compromises but more elegant principles. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Low | High | High |
Timedifferent | 2-8 h | 30-60 min | 1-4 h | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 2-8 | 2-8 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Problem Analysis, Decision Analysis, Risk Plan | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog | Contradiction Statement, Inventive Principles, Solution Concepts | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions |
Tagsno overlap | Problem solvingRoot causeDecisionOperations | Root causeQualityOperations | InnovationProblem solvingContradictionsCreativity | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause |