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| Criterion |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Operations 5 Whys |  Agile 4Ls Retrospective |  Operations Root Cause Tree Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | When a sprint should not only be assessed but also learned from, it captures experience in clear learning categories. It records what worked, what's missing, and what should run differently next time. | 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 | Medium | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-4 h | 15-30 min | 45–75 min | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 2-6 | Team members involved | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | 4Ls Board, Learning Themes, Improvement Actions | Cause Tree, Evidence Notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | RetrospectiveLearningReflectionTeam | Root causeTreeIncidentQuality |