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| Criterion |  Product Discovery Working Backwards |  Operations PDCA Cycle |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Operations Root Cause Tree Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When the target state and benefit need to be clear first, it thinks backward from the desired outcome into the product logic. It sharpens vision, objections, and value proposition before elaboration. | For an improvement that still has to prove itself in everyday work, the method runs it through small learning loops. It connects planning, checking, and standardization into a repeatable learning mode. | 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. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 4-8 h, mehrere Iterationen | 1 h bis mehrere Wochen | 1-4 h | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-6 | 1-8 | 3-8 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Future Press Release, FAQ, Vision Statement | PDCA Log, Experiment Plan, Learning Outcome, Standard Change | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Cause Tree, Evidence Notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | VisionNarrativeAlignment | Continuous improvementLeanExperiments | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | Root causeTreeIncidentQuality |