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| Criterion |  Operations Kepner-Tregoe |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Operations Change Analysis |  Operations 5 Whys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 keeps recurring and the cause stays unclear, the method exposes the underlying mechanism. It separates symptom, guess, and robust explanation from one another. | For a deviation after a change, the method isolates the influence of the altered condition. It narrows down which differences are relevant and which are just accompanying noise. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 2-8 h | 1-4 h | 45-120 min | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 3-8 | 2-6 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Problem Analysis, Decision Analysis, Risk Plan | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Change Matrix, Cause Hypotheses, Validation Questions, Action List | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tags1 shared | Problem solvingRoot causeDecisionOperations | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | ChangeRoot causeTroubleshootingComparison | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |