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| Criterion |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  UX Research User Interviews |  Operations A3 Problem Solving |  Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | When teams derive needs only from assumptions and real motives are missing, user interviews give direct access to behavior and meaning. Conversations from the target group's everyday life make patterns, tensions, and open questions solidly visible. | 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 process, product, or service with noticeable failure risks, the method assesses possible failure modes in advance. It directs attention to combinations of occurrence, effect, and detectability. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Medium | High |
Timedifferent | 1-4 h | 30–60 min per interview | 45-90 min | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 1 participant per interview | 2-5 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Interview Notes, Themes, Insight Summary | A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | QualitativeResearchCustomerDiscovery | LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause |