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| Criterion | ![]() Operations Root Cause Tree Analysis | ![]() Product Discovery Smoke Test | ![]() Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis | ![]() 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. | 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. | 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 assumptions still sit unordered in the room, it weighs uncertainty against leverage. It makes visible which hypotheses should be checked first. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | 1-5 Tage | 2-6 h | 45-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | Nutzertraffic | 3-10 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Cause Tree, Evidence Notes, Countermeasures | Interest Metrics, Conversion Signal, Learning Note | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions | Assumption map, Test backlog, Risk ranking |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeTreeIncidentQuality | ValidationExperimentsDemandGrowth | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause | AssumptionsRiskExperimentsValidation |



