View methods side by side.
Choose up to four methods. Add them using the search and share the comparison by copying its link.
| Criterion | ![]() UX Research Contextual Inquiry | ![]() Systems Thinking Current Reality Tree | ![]() Operations 8D Problem Solving |
|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When work processes are known only from accounts and the real context stays hidden, Contextual Inquiry makes behavior at the workplace visible. Observation and follow-up questions together show how people actually work, get interrupted, and improvise. | A Current Reality Tree condenses many symptoms into a few causal chains. The method makes visible which core problems drive several negative effects at once. | For an acute quality or delivery problem, the method structures immediate protection and root cause work together. It keeps the situation stable while the actual cause is investigated cleanly. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | High | High |
Timedifferent | 1-3 Wochen | 2-6 h | 1-6 Wochen |
Participantsdifferent | 4-12 Beobachtungen | 3-8 | 4-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Field Notes, Workflow Insights, Pain Points | Current Reality Tree, Core Problems, Intervention Ideas | 8D Report, Containment Plan, Root Cause Evidence, Corrective Action Plan |
Tagsno overlap | UX researchObservationContext | Systems thinkingRoot causeConstraintsCausality | QualityProblem solvingRoot cause |
Often compared together
Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.






