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| Criterion |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Innovation Lean Startup |  Business Strategy 5-Minuten VC-Check |  Operations 5 Whys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | For uncertain business assumptions, the method forces the idea into contact with real market reactions early. It separates wishful picture, assumption, and observable behavior, so that learning becomes faster than planning. This translates uncertainty into measurable insight. | The 5-Minute VC Check clarifies opportunities and strategic options at the earliest idea stage. It compares problem quality, customer willingness to pay, alternatives, differentiation, and market potential, and captures the result as a VC-check note, go/sharpen/park decision, and risk list. | 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 | 1-4 h | Wochen bis Monate je Lernzyklus | 5-15 min | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 2-8 | 1-5 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Hypothesis list, MVPs, Learning reports, Pivot or persevere decision | VC-check note, Go/sharpen/park decision, Risk and assumption list, Next validation step | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | LeanStartupValidationMVP | StartupValidationCompetition | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |