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| Criterion |  Operations Root Cause Tree Analysis |  Innovation Lotus Blossom |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Innovation Brainstorming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | 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. | 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. | When a team faces an open question with many obvious directions, the method first creates breadth instead of premature commitment. It separates idea flow from evaluation and makes lines of thought visible, creating a pool for selection and further development. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | 45-90 min | 1-4 h | 30-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 3-10 | 3-8 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Cause Tree, Evidence Notes, Countermeasures | Lotus Diagram, Idea Themes, Shortlist | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Idea pool, Theme clusters, Shortlist |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeTreeIncidentQuality | BrainstormingIdeationCreativityDivergenceWorkshop | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | BrainstormingIdeationCreativityWorkshopDivergence |