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| Criterion |  Facilitation Mind Mapping |  Operations Fault Tree Analysis |  Operations 5 Whys |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a topic is still unclear and too many thoughts surface at once, Mind Mapping creates an open surface for ordering them. It makes connections, subtopics, and starting points visible without fixing them too early. | For a critical top event with several possible triggers, the method logically models failure paths. It makes visible which combinations of conditions can lead to damage. | 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. | 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 | Low | High | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 2-6 h | 15-30 min | 1-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 1-10 | 3-8 | 2-6 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Mind Map, Topic Clusters, Open Questions | Fault Tree, Critical Paths, Cause Hypotheses, Control Actions | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan |
Tagsno overlap | BrainstormingIdeasMappingStructureFacilitation | RiskRoot causeSafety | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident |