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| Criterion |  Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |  Operations Kepner-Tregoe |  Operations Change Analysis |  Operations A3 Problem Solving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | 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. | For a deviation after a change, the method isolates the influence of the altered condition. It narrows down which differences are relevant and which are just accompanying noise. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | High | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | 2-8 h | 45-120 min | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 2-8 | 2-6 | 2-5 |
Formatsame | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan | Problem Analysis, Decision Analysis, Risk Plan | Change Matrix, Cause Hypotheses, Validation Questions, Action List | A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis |
Tagsno overlap | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery | Problem solvingRoot causeDecisionOperations | ChangeRoot causeTroubleshootingComparison | LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations |