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| Criterion |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Systems Thinking Soft Systems Methodology |  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. | Soft Systems Methodology helps explore unclear or politically charged problems systematically. Instead of forcing a quick answer, the method builds a shared understanding of perspectives and room for action. | 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 | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-4 h | 0.5-3 Tage | 2-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 5-15 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Rich Picture, Root Definitions, Conceptual Models, Change Agenda | Barrier Inventory, Failure Analysis per Barrier, Action Backlog |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | Soft systemsComplexitySensemakingSystems thinking | Root causeSafetyIncident |
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