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| Criterion |  Product Strategy Impact Mapping |  Operations Root Cause Tree Analysis |  Decision Making Constraint Analysis |  Operations 5 Whys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a goal needs to be connected to several possible paths, it shows chains of impact instead of feature lists. It connects business goal, behavior change, and measures. | For a problem with several suspected causes, the method builds a causal structure instead of a mere list. It makes visible how causes connect and where the strongest points of leverage lie. | When an initiative stalls, the limit often lies not in the idea but in hard or soft boundary conditions. Constraint Analysis separates these limits and shows which of them can actually be shaped. | 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 | 1-3 h | 30-90 min | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 2-8 | 2-8 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Impact Map, Outcome Hypotheses, Delivery Options | Cause Tree, Evidence Notes, Countermeasures | Constraint List, Hard/Soft Classification, Option Impact Notes, Decision Boundaries | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | OutcomesStrategyBehaviorPlanning | Root causeTreeIncidentQuality | ConstraintsDecisionPlanningOptions | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |