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| Criterion |  Operations Root Cause Tree Analysis |  Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis |  Product Discovery Smoke Test |  Product Discovery Assumption Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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 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. | When demand only needs to be roughly verified, it tests interest with minimal effort. It measures whether people would take a next step at all. | When assumptions still sit unordered in the room, it weighs uncertainty against leverage. It makes visible which hypotheses should be checked first. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | High | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | 2-6 h | 1-5 Tage | 45-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 3-10 | Nutzertraffic | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Cause Tree, Evidence Notes, Countermeasures | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions | Interest Metrics, Conversion Signal, Learning Note | Assumption map, Test backlog, Risk ranking |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeTreeIncidentQuality | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause | ValidationExperimentsDemandGrowth | AssumptionsRiskExperimentsValidation |