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| Criterion |  Operations ALPEN Method |  UX Research User Interviews |  Product Strategy GIST Planning |  Product Discovery Opportunity Solution Tree |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | With an overloaded day full of too many tasks, a realistic picture of the day emerges. The method connects estimating, deciding, and buffer thinking so planning fits available energy and time. | When teams derive needs only from assumptions and real motives are missing, user interviews give direct access to behavior and meaning. Conversations from the target group's everyday life make patterns, tensions, and open questions solidly visible. | GIST Planning helps clarify target groups, value, goals, and priorities. It links customer value, product logic, and decision priorities, and captures the result as goals, an idea bank, and a step-project list. | When discovery keeps swinging between goals, ideas, and learning loops, it creates clear steering logic. It connects the desired outcome, opportunities, and experiments into a legible structure. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 10-20 min daily | 30–60 min per interview | Wochen bis Monate je Goal | 1-2 h Setup, laufend |
Participantsdifferent | 1 | 1 participant per interview | 3-10 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Daily Plan, Time Estimates, Review Notes | Interview Notes, Themes, Insight Summary | Goals, Idea bank, Step-project list, Tasks, Learning reports | Opportunity Solution Tree, Experiment Backlog, Learning Log |
Tagsno overlap | PlanningTime managementProductivityOperations | QualitativeResearchCustomerDiscovery | RoadmapOutcomesPlanningExperiments | DiscoveryOutcomesExperimentsOpportunity |