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| Criterion | ![]() Product Discovery Jobs to Be Done | ![]() Operations Root Cause Tree Analysis | ![]() Operations Causal Factor Analysis | ![]() Operations Root Cause Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When switching motives and progress are unclear, it reconstructs the situation from real customer circumstances. It shows why a switch happens and what kind of progress is being sought. | 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. | For an event with a complicated course, the method breaks down the contributing factors along the timeline. It shows how conditions, decisions, and reactions together produce a course of events. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-3 Wochen | 1-3 h | 2-6 h | 1-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 5-12 Interviews | 2-8 | 3-10 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Job Stories, Outcome Statements, Opportunity List | Cause Tree, Evidence Notes, Countermeasures | Event Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan |
Tagsno overlap | CustomerOutcomesNeeds | Root causeTreeIncidentQuality | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident |



