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Criterion
Paper illustration for Root Cause Analysis.
Operations
Root Cause Analysis
Paper illustration of an eight-panel idea sheet with varied sketches beside a timer set to eight minutes.
Innovation
Crazy 8s
Paper illustration for Root Cause Tree Analysis
Operations
Root Cause Tree Analysis
Paper illustration of Barrier Analysis with its method-specific working model.
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.With only a few minutes available and a still-fuzzy solution search, the method forces a wide range of variants. It produces fast sketches before the first idea can settle in, making different directions directly comparable and open to further development.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.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
MediumLowMediumMedium
Timedifferent
1-4 h8-15 min1-3 h2-4 h
Participantsdifferent
3-81-102-82-6
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshopWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action PlanSketch Set, Idea Shortlist, Direction OptionsCause Tree, Evidence Notes, CountermeasuresBarrier Inventory, Failure Analysis per Barrier, Action Backlog
Tagsno overlap
Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident
BrainstormingSketchingSpeedDivergenceDesign sprint
Root causeTreeIncidentQuality
Root causeSafetyIncident
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