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| Criterion |  Operations Process Mapping |  Agile WSJF |  Operations 5 Whys |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | With a confusing workflow that has many handoffs, the method makes the actual process visible. It shows where work is passed on, delayed, or duplicated, so improvement targets the right spots. | When many tasks compete for the same capacity, it orders work by economic impact. It makes time lost, benefit, and effort comparable together. | 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 | Medium | High | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | 45-90 min | 15-30 min | 1-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 3-10 | 2-6 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Process Map, Handoff List, Improvement Backlog | Ranked Backlog, Cost-of-Delay Assumptions | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan |
Tagsno overlap | ProcessOperationsImprovement | LeanEconomicsSequencePrioritization | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident |