View methods side by side.
Choose up to four methods. Add them using the search and share the comparison by copying its link.
| Criterion |  Product Discovery Smoke Test |  Operations A3 Problem Solving |  Product Discovery Assumption Mapping |  Operations 5 Whys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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 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. | When assumptions still sit unordered in the room, it weighs uncertainty against leverage. It makes visible which hypotheses should be checked first. | 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 | Low | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-5 Tage | 45-90 min | 45-60 min | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | Nutzertraffic | 2-5 | 2-8 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Interest Metrics, Conversion Signal, Learning Note | A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis | Assumption map, Test backlog, Risk ranking | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | ValidationExperimentsDemandGrowth | LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations | AssumptionsRiskExperimentsValidation | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |