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| Criterion |  UX Research Customer Journey Mapping |  Systems Thinking Future Reality Tree |  Operations 5 Whys |  Operations A3 Problem Solving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | A Future Reality Tree shows how desired actions are meant to lead to a better system state. The method checks whether a path of change holds together logically before time flows into implementation. | 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. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | High | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 2-4 h | 2-4 h | 15-30 min | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 4-10 | 3-8 | 2-6 | 2-5 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Journey Map, Pain-point List, Opportunity Backlog | Future Reality Tree, Negative Branches, Assumption List, Improved Injections | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis |
Tagsno overlap | JourneyServiceService design | Theory of ConstraintsSystems thinkingChange | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations |