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Criterion
A 5 Whys working surface connects an observable problem with evidenced causes, marked uncertainty and concrete countermeasures with ownership.
Operations
5 Whys
Paper illustration of a yellow story card, blue rule cards, green example cards and a red question card on a light workspace.
Agile
Example Mapping
Paper illustration for Kepner-Tregoe
Operations
Kepner-Tregoe
Purposedifferent
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.When a story carries business rules and exceptions, it brings clarity before implementation. It makes examples, open questions, and boundaries visible enough that the logic becomes jointly sound.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.
Complexitydifferent
LowLowHigh
Timedifferent
15-30 min30-60 min2-8 h
Participantsdifferent
2-63-72-8
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshopWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Root cause notes, CountermeasuresExample Map, Acceptance Criteria, Open QuestionsProblem Analysis, Decision Analysis, Risk Plan
Tagsno overlap
Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving
Behavior-Driven DevelopmentRequirementsExamplesRefinement
Problem solvingRoot causeDecisionOperations
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Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

A3 Problem-Solving workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Operations
A3 Problem Solving
Paper illustration of Acceptance Criteria Workshop with a method-specific labelled workspace.
Agile
Acceptance Criteria Workshop
Paper illustration for Root Cause Analysis.
Operations
Root Cause Analysis
Paper illustration of Specification by Example with a method-specific labelled workspace.
Agile
Specification by Example