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| Criterion |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |  Operations MORT Analysis |  Operations Barrier 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. | When research notes, feedback, or observations sit unconnected side by side, affinity diagramming sorts the raw material into solid themes. Many individual points turn into patterns that make decisions and opportunities clearer. | For a safety-relevant event or a system with high protection requirements, the method examines where controls failed. It exposes both technical and organizational gaps. | For a risk that can only be managed through multiple layers of protection, the method examines the effectiveness of each barrier. It shows where safeguards are missing, too weak, or fail under real conditions. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-4 h | 45–90 min | Mehrere Tage bis Wochen | 2-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 3-10 | 2-6 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | MORT Worksheets, Findings per Branch, Corrective Actions, Systemic Recommendations | Barrier Inventory, Failure Analysis per Barrier, Action Backlog |
Tags1 shared | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | Root causeSafetySystemicIncident | Root causeSafetyIncident |