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| Criterion |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Innovation Morphological Analysis |  Innovation Lotus Blossom |  Operations 5 Whys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 search for solutions with many degrees of freedom, a grid emerges for systematic combinations. The method separates features, variants, and exclusion criteria, so the space gets explored deliberately. | When a central question feels too large, the method breaks it into neighboring topic fields with their own depth of ideation. It holds structure and openness at the same time, so adjacent perspectives don't get lost. This grows an idea space out of a core problem. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-4 h | 1-3 h | 45-90 min | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 2-8 | 3-10 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Morphological Box, Concept Combinations, Idea Shortlist | Lotus Diagram, Idea Themes, Shortlist | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | IdeationInnovationCreativity | BrainstormingIdeationCreativityDivergenceWorkshop | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |