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| Criterion |  Operations 5 Whys |  Product Discovery Outcome-Driven Innovation |  Operations A3 Problem Solving |  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. | Outcome-Driven Innovation clarifies customer problems, solution opportunities, and evidence. It separates jobs, desired outcomes, importance, satisfaction, and opportunity, and captures results as desired outcome statements, an opportunity landscape, and segments by underserved needs. | For a complex deviation with several people involved, the method bundles problem, analysis, and decision onto one page. It creates a shared working space where causes, countermeasures, and follow-up fit together. | 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 | Low | High | Medium | High |
Timedifferent | 15-30 min | Mehrere Wochen | 45-90 min | 2-8 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-6 | 2-6 researchers plus sample | 2-5 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | Desired outcome statements, Opportunity landscape, Segmentation by underserved needs, Innovation hypotheses | A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis | Problem Analysis, Decision Analysis, Risk Plan |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | OutcomesInnovationResearchQuantitative | LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations | Problem solvingRoot causeDecisionOperations |