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| Criterion |  Business Strategy TOWS Matrix |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |  Operations Change Analysis |  Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | The TOWS Matrix connects internal strengths and weaknesses with external opportunities and threats into action-oriented strategies. It goes a step further than a pure stocktaking. | When a problem has several possible contributing factors, the method sorts causes by cause areas. It prevents an initial hunch from blocking the view of other plausible drivers. | 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 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 | Low | Medium | High |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h | 30-60 min | 45-120 min | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 2-8 | 2-6 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | TOWS Matrix, Strategic Options, Priority Actions | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog | Change Matrix, Cause Hypotheses, Validation Questions, Action List | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions |
Tagsno overlap | StrategyAnalysisOptions | Root causeQualityOperations | ChangeRoot causeTroubleshootingComparison | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause |