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| Criterion | ![]() Innovation TRIZ | ![]() Innovation Design Thinking | ![]() Operations 5 Whys | ![]() Innovation Contradiction Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | For technical contradictions or trade-offs, the method looks for solutions that resolve opposing requirements at the same time. It translates limits into an explicit picture of conflict that becomes workable. This produces not just compromises but more elegant principles. | For complex user problems with an uncertain cause, the method connects observation, interpretation, and experiment into a learning cycle. It keeps the focus on real needs and avoids premature solution language. This produces robust decisions for product and service. | 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. | When a system should improve while another measure suffers as a result, the method makes the underlying conflict precisely formulable. It separates the desired effect from its side effect. This makes solutions possible that address the contradiction deliberately instead of half-heartedly. |
Complexitydifferent | High | High | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-4 h | 1 Tag bis mehrere Wochen | 15-30 min | 60-120 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 4-10 | 2-6 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Contradiction Statement, Inventive Principles, Solution Concepts | Problem Statement, Prototype, Test Learnings | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | Contradiction Statement, Abstraction Notes, Solution Principles, Concept Ideas |
Tagsno overlap | InnovationProblem solvingContradictionsCreativity | InnovationPrototypeResearch | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | ContradictionsInnovationProblem solving |



