Operations Analysis method

Kepner-Tregoe

Clarifies whether situation appraisal, cause analysis, a decision, or safeguards for a plan are needed.

Kepner-Tregoe provides distinct thinking processes for situation appraisal, problem analysis, decision analysis and safeguarding plans. Situation Appraisal identifies the needed process; not every concern passes through all of them.

Core question

Do we need situation appraisal, cause analysis, a decision or safeguards for a plan?

Plan Method guide

Start comparison

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Participants: 2-8 participants
Time: Multiple analysis blocks as needed; 45–90 minutes each

Situation
Situation Appraisal
Separate concerns and prioritise by current impact, urgency and development.
Problem
Problem Analysis
Describe the deviation by What, Where, When and Extent as IS and IS NOT.
Decision
Decision Analysis
State the decision objective; screen must criteria and compare eligible alternatives on weighted wants.
Plan risks
Potential Problem Analysis
Name critical plan steps and potential problems with causes; define preventive actions.

Examine new facts in the appropriate process; confirm causes only after verification and later check action effects.

A good fit when

For complex concerns where deviation, choice and future risk become confused.

Ideal for

Incident Analysis
Operational Decisions
Complex Troubleshooting

Not good for

Free Ideation
Problems without available facts

Outputs

Appropriate analysis route
Prioritised analysis brief and appropriate outputs: verified cause, reasoned decision or safeguarded plan.
Safeguarded plan
Agreed contingency, trigger, and owner for the occurrence of the problem.

Kepner-Tregoe· worksheet

Fictional example

Situation Appraisal

What concerns exist and which analysis route fits each?

Fictional: registrations fail since Tuesday; cause unknown. Problem Analysis first, choice of correction afterwards.

IS / IS NOT

What, where, when and to what extent does the deviation occur or not occur?

IS: mobile Safari, form version 4, since Tuesday, 18 of 60 attempts. IS NOT: desktop, version 3, Monday.

Distinction, change, test

Which change explains all facts and how is it verified?

Hypothesis: new date field. Reverting only that field removes failure in a reproducible test; review remaining distinctions.

Must, want, risk

Which options pass must criteria and differ in benefits and risk?

Must: no data loss, deploy today. Rollback passes; full redesign fails. Want: low operating effort; risk: old usability issue returns.

Prevention and contingency

Which problem do we prevent and what trigger starts which response?

Test data compatibility before rollback. If failure rate rises after deployment, Jan stops rollout and activates the tested prior version.

All example details are fictional and illustrate the application.

Kepner-Tregoe: FAQs

First step

Collect concerns, facts, impact and ownership; first choose the needed analysis route.

Open the method guide

Where to go next?

Operations

Fishbone Diagram

Deepens the chosen cause clarification with a structured cause search.

Paper illustration of a decision table with criteria rows, weighted ratings, and a narrowly leading alternative.

Decision Making

Decision Matrix

Evaluates the chosen decision options against fixed criteria.

Deep dive

Purpose

For a disturbance that's hard to pin down, the method cleanly separates problem, cause, and decision. It reduces mixing when symptoms allow several interpretations.

How it works

The analysis systematically compares what is present, what is missing, and how cases differ. This narrows down causes along testable characteristics rather than guessing them. The decision then follows clear criteria rather than just the most plausible story.

In detail

Kepner Tregoe disciplines the separation of problem clarification, cause verification, and decision. Sharp distinction between is and is-not, documented differences, and cautious hypothesis testing are central. The approach pays off in situations where premature solutions would produce costly wrong decisions.

Facilitation

Keep clearly apart whether you're currently handling situation clarification, problem analysis, a decision question, or contingency planning, so nothing blurs together. The method gains depth when only the question that genuinely needs answering next gets worked on. Close with a clearly formulated work order for the next section and the facts needed for it.

The method guide walks execution through 4 phases, timing, 4 pitfalls, and clear stop criteria.

Open method guide

Your perspective

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Sources and topics

Topics

Problem solving Root cause Decision Operations

Sources

Kepner-Tregoe: FAQskepner-tregoe.comOriginal provider: distinct rational thinking processes, not one universal form.Kepner-Tregoe: PSDM Preworkkepner-tregoe.comOriginal preparation material. Editorial summary, not a substitute for full training.

In playbooks

Narrow Down and Sustainably Fix a Technical Root CauseMove from a precise problem specification through structured cause investigation to a documented 8D report.

Artifact templates

Kepner-Tregoe: WorksheetCollect concerns, facts, impact and ownership; first choose the needed analysis route.

markdown

kepner-tregoe-working-template.md

Collect concerns, facts, impact and ownership; first choose the needed analysis route.

Kepner-Tregoe: Worksheet

Question

To be confirmed

Desired outcome

To be confirmed

Scope

Complete cycle Time: Multiple analysis blocks as needed; 45–90 minutes each

Complete this worksheet on paper or in your own document during the work.

Preparation for this scope

Method setup

Materials: Concern list, IS/IS NOT comparison, decision criteria, alternatives and risk plan.
Roles: Domain experts, process owners, decision maker and experienced facilitator.
Advance information: Collect concerns, facts, impact and ownership; first choose the needed analysis route.
Overall time needed: Multiple analysis blocks as needed; 45–90 minutes each
Setup: Sort concerns first; prepare separate workspaces for IS/IS NOT, decision criteria and plan risks.