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| Criterion |  Operations A3 Problem Solving |  Engineering Fault Isolation |  Business Strategy Value Chain Analysis |  Engineering Hypothesis-Driven Troubleshooting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | Value Chain Analysis shows where value is created, costs accrue, and differentiation becomes possible along the process. It compares strengths, risks, market logic, and courses of action. The result is captured as a value-chain map and lever list. | When systems fail unexpectedly, spontaneous attempts often produce more noise than insight. Hypothesis-driven Troubleshooting translates symptoms into testable assumptions and makes troubleshooting learnable. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | 30-180 min | Half day | 30-240 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-5 | 1-6 | 3-8 | 1-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis | Fault Isolation Map, Test Log, Excluded Hypotheses, Narrowed Fault Area | Value Chain Map, Lever List | Hypothesis Log, Test Plan, Evidence Notes, Diagnosis Summary |
Tagsno overlap | LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations | TroubleshootingDiagnosisEngineering | StrategyBusiness modelDiagnosisAnalysis | TroubleshootingProblem solvingDiagnosis |