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| Criterion |  Operations A3 Problem Solving |  Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |  Product Discovery Assumption Mapping |  Operations Kepner-Tregoe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | Plans often contain assumptions that were never openly stated and remain dangerous precisely because of that. Assumption Surfacing makes these silent premises visible and prioritizes which of them carry the initiative or could sink it. | When assumptions still sit unordered in the room, it weighs uncertainty against leverage. It makes visible which hypotheses should be checked first. | For a disturbance that's hard to pin down, the method cleanly separates problem, cause, and decision. It reduces mixing when symptoms allow several interpretations. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Medium | High |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | 45-90 min | 45-60 min | 2-8 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-5 | 2-8 | 2-8 | 2-8 |
Formatsame | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan | Assumption map, Test backlog, Risk ranking | Problem Analysis, Decision Analysis, Risk Plan |
Tagsno overlap | LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery | AssumptionsRiskExperimentsValidation | Problem solvingRoot causeDecisionOperations |