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| Criterion |  Facilitation Mind Mapping |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Operations 5 Whys |  Operations Root Cause Tree 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. | 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 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. | For a problem with several suspected causes, the method builds a causal structure instead of a mere list. It makes visible how causes connect and where the strongest points of leverage lie. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 1-4 h | 15-30 min | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 1-10 | 3-8 | 2-6 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Mind Map, Topic Clusters, Open Questions | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | Cause Tree, Evidence Notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | BrainstormingIdeasMappingStructureFacilitation | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | Root causeTreeIncidentQuality |