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| Criterion |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Business Strategy Value Chain Analysis |  Operations Change Analysis |  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. | Value Chain Analysis shows where value is created, costs accrue, and differentiation becomes possible along the process. It compares strengths, risks, market logic, and courses of action. The result is captured as a value-chain map and lever list. | For a deviation after a change, the method isolates the influence of the altered condition. It narrows down which differences are relevant and which are just accompanying noise. | 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 | High | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-4 h | Half day | 45-120 min | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 3-8 | 2-6 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Value Chain Map, Lever List | Change Matrix, Cause Hypotheses, Validation Questions, Action List | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | StrategyBusiness modelDiagnosisAnalysis | ChangeRoot causeTroubleshootingComparison | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |