View methods side by side.
Choose up to four methods. Add them using the search and share the comparison by copying its link.
| Criterion |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Operations Causal Factor Analysis |  Innovation Contradiction 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 an event with a complicated course, the method breaks down the contributing factors along the timeline. It shows how conditions, decisions, and reactions together produce a course of events. | When a system should improve while another measure suffers as a result, the method makes the underlying conflict precisely formulable. It separates the desired effect from its side effect. This makes solutions possible that address the contradiction deliberately instead of half-heartedly. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-4 h | 2-6 h | 60-120 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 3-10 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Event Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions | Contradiction Statement, Abstraction Notes, Solution Principles, Concept Ideas |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline | ContradictionsInnovationProblem solving |
Often compared together
Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.
