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| Criterion |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Operations 5 Whys |  Operations Scatter Diagram |  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 the question is whether two measures are related, the method makes patterns in the data picture visible. It separates felt correlations from relationships that actually show up in the data. | 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 | 30-90 min | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 2-6 | 1-4 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | Scatter Plot, Korrelationsnotiz, Hypothesenliste | Cause Tree, Evidence Notes, Countermeasures |
Tags1 shared | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | Root causeQualityVisualization | Root causeTreeIncidentQuality |