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| Criterion |  Operations A3 Problem Solving |  Engineering Fault Isolation |  Business Strategy 5-Minuten VC-Check |  Operations 5 Whys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | In technical failures, the visible symptom often gets mixed up with the actual cause. Fault Isolation narrows the fault space and progressively reduces which part of the system is truly affected. | The 5-Minute VC Check clarifies opportunities and strategic options at the earliest idea stage. It compares problem quality, customer willingness to pay, alternatives, differentiation, and market potential, and captures the result as a VC-check note, go/sharpen/park decision, and risk list. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | 30-180 min | 5-15 min | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-5 | 1-6 | 1-5 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis | Fault Isolation Map, Test Log, Excluded Hypotheses, Narrowed Fault Area | VC-check note, Go/sharpen/park decision, Risk and assumption list, Next validation step | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations | TroubleshootingDiagnosisEngineering | StartupValidationCompetition | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |