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| Criterion |  Operations 5 Whys |  Innovation Lean Startup |  Product Discovery Smoke Test |  Growth A/B Testing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | For uncertain business assumptions, the method forces the idea into contact with real market reactions early. It separates wishful picture, assumption, and observable behavior, so that learning becomes faster than planning. This translates uncertainty into measurable insight. | When demand only needs to be roughly verified, it tests interest with minimal effort. It measures whether people would take a next step at all. | When two variants compete, discussions quickly decide by taste rather than effect. A/B Testing checks behavior under controlled conditions and separates real improvement from chance or expectation effects. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | High |
Timedifferent | 15-30 min | Wochen bis Monate je Lernzyklus | 1-5 Tage | 1-4 Wochen |
Participantsdifferent | 2-6 | 2-8 | Nutzertraffic | 1-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Async | Async |
Outputdifferent | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | Hypothesis list, MVPs, Learning reports, Pivot or persevere decision | Interest Metrics, Conversion Signal, Learning Note | Experiment results, Decision log, Learning summary |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | LeanStartupValidationMVP | ValidationExperimentsDemandGrowth | ExperimentsGrowthAnalyticsValidation |