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| Criterion | ![]() UX Research Customer Journey Mapping | ![]() Operations A3 Problem Solving | ![]() Operations Barrier Analysis | ![]() Operations Root Cause Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a user journey falls apart across many touchpoints, customer journey mapping makes the experience visible as a coherent arc. Phases, emotions, and breaks become legible enough to prioritize critical moments deliberately. | 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. | For a risk that can only be managed through multiple layers of protection, the method examines the effectiveness of each barrier. It shows where safeguards are missing, too weak, or fail under real conditions. | When a problem keeps recurring and the cause stays unclear, the method exposes the underlying mechanism. It separates symptom, guess, and robust explanation from one another. |
Complexitysame | Medium | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 2-4 h | 45-90 min | 2-4 h | 1-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 4-10 | 2-5 | 2-6 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Journey Map, Pain-point List, Opportunity Backlog | A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis | Barrier Inventory, Failure Analysis per Barrier, Action Backlog | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan |
Tagsno overlap | JourneyServiceService design | LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations | Root causeSafetyIncident | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident |



