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| Criterion |  Facilitation Lean Coffee |  Operations Kepner-Tregoe |  Facilitation Consensus Workshop |  Operations 5 Whys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a group without a fixed agenda needs to get into useful conversations quickly, Lean Coffee structures the start around interests rather than a presentation. The group itself negotiates which topics get time first and which wait. | 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 group needs a solid decision without outvoting individual factions, a Consensus Workshop creates a negotiable common ground. It makes agreement, reservations, and open tensions discussable at the same time. | 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 | Low | High | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 30-90 min | 2-8 h | 1-3 h | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-20 | 2-8 | 5-30 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Prioritized Topics, Discussion Notes, Action Items | Problem Analysis, Decision Analysis, Risk Plan | Consensus Clusters, Theme Titles, Priority Areas | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | FacilitationAutonomyDialogue | Problem solvingRoot causeDecisionOperations | FacilitationConsensusWorkshopAlignment | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |