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| Criterion |  Engineering Hypothesis-Driven Troubleshooting |  Innovation Contradiction Analysis |  Innovation TRIZ |  Operations 5 Whys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When systems fail unexpectedly, spontaneous attempts often produce more noise than insight. Hypothesis-driven Troubleshooting translates symptoms into testable assumptions and makes troubleshooting learnable. | When a system should improve while another measure suffers as a result, the method makes the underlying conflict precisely formulable. It separates the desired effect from its side effect. This makes solutions possible that address the contradiction deliberately instead of half-heartedly. | For technical contradictions or trade-offs, the method looks for solutions that resolve opposing requirements at the same time. It translates limits into an explicit picture of conflict that becomes workable. This produces not just compromises but more elegant principles. | 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 | High | Low |
Timedifferent | 30-240 min | 60-120 min | 1-4 h | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-6 | 2-8 | 2-8 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Hypothesis Log, Test Plan, Evidence Notes, Diagnosis Summary | Contradiction Statement, Abstraction Notes, Solution Principles, Concept Ideas | Contradiction Statement, Inventive Principles, Solution Concepts | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tags1 shared | TroubleshootingProblem solvingDiagnosis | ContradictionsInnovationProblem solving | InnovationProblem solvingContradictionsCreativity | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |