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| Criterion |  Decision Making Pre-Mortem |  Operations After-Action Review |  Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis |  Operations ALPEN Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | In early initiatives with many uncertainties, planning quickly turns too optimistic. A pre-mortem makes the expected failure visible in advance and sharpens the view of causes, gaps, and countermeasures. | After missions or project phases with unclear outcomes, the method makes visible what actually happened and what can be learned from it. It separates course, effect, and causes so experience turns into solid improvement. | 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. | With an overloaded day full of too many tasks, a realistic picture of the day emerges. The method connects estimating, deciding, and buffer thinking so planning fits available energy and time. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | High | Low |
Timedifferent | 20–45 min | 20-45 min | 2-6 h | 10-20 min daily |
Participantsdifferent | Small cross-functional group | 3-12 | 3-10 | 1 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Async |
Outputdifferent | Risk list, Mitigation plan, Assumption log | Lessons learned, Action items, Event summary | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions | Daily Plan, Time Estimates, Review Notes |
Tagsno overlap | RiskDecisionFailurePlanning | LearningOperationsImprovement | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause | PlanningTime managementProductivityOperations |