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| Criterion |  Facilitation Mind Mapping |  Operations Failure Mode and Effects 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 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. | 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 | 3-10 | 2-6 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Mind Map, Topic Clusters, Open Questions | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan |
Tagsno overlap | BrainstormingIdeasMappingStructureFacilitation | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident |