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| Criterion |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Product Discovery Test Card |  Operations 5 Whys |  Operations 8D Problem Solving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | The Test Card turns a critical assumption into a testable claim and specifies in advance which result counts as success. | 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 an acute quality or delivery problem, the method structures immediate protection and root cause work together. It keeps the situation stable while the actual cause is investigated cleanly. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Low | High |
Timedifferent | 1-4 h | 20-35 min | 15-30 min | 1-6 Wochen |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 1-5 | 2-6 | 4-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Test Card with a pre-set threshold | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | 8D Report, Containment Plan, Root Cause Evidence, Corrective Action Plan |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | ExperimentsValidationDiscoveryHypothesis | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | QualityProblem solvingRoot cause |