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| Criterion |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Operations Fault Tree Analysis |  Operations Barrier Analysis |  Operations Failure Mode and Effects 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 critical top event with several possible triggers, the method logically models failure paths. It makes visible which combinations of conditions can lead to damage. | 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. | For a process, product, or service with noticeable failure risks, the method assesses possible failure modes in advance. It directs attention to combinations of occurrence, effect, and detectability. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | High | Medium | High |
Timedifferent | 1-4 h | 2-6 h | 2-4 h | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 3-8 | 2-6 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Fault Tree, Critical Paths, Cause Hypotheses, Control Actions | Barrier Inventory, Failure Analysis per Barrier, Action Backlog | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions |
Tags1 shared | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | RiskRoot causeSafety | Root causeSafetyIncident | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause |