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Criterion
Paper illustration for Contextual Inquiry.
UX Research
Contextual Inquiry
Paper illustration for Standard Work Analysis.
Operations
Standard Work Analysis
Paper fishbone diagram with a measurable effect at the head and six labeled cause branches.
Operations
Fishbone Diagram
Paper illustration for Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
Operations
Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
Purposedifferent
When work processes are known only from accounts and the real context stays hidden, Contextual Inquiry makes behavior at the workplace visible. Observation and follow-up questions together show how people actually work, get interrupted, and improvise.When the same task is done differently depending on the person, the method exposes the reliable core. It creates comparability without unnecessarily choking off needed latitude.When a problem has several possible contributing factors, the method sorts causes by cause areas. It prevents an initial hunch from blocking the view of other plausible drivers.For a process, product, or service with noticeable failure risks, the method assesses possible failure modes in advance. It directs attention to combinations of occurrence, effect, and detectability.
Complexitydifferent
MediumMediumLowHigh
Timedifferent
1-3 Wochen1-3 h30-60 min2-6 h
Participantsdifferent
4-12 Beobachtungen2-62-83-10
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshopWorkshop
Outputdifferent
Field Notes, Workflow Insights, Pain PointsStandard Work Sheet, Deviation List, Improved Standard, Training NeedsFishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation BacklogFMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions
Tagsno overlap
UX researchObservationContext
LeanProcessQuality
Root causeQualityOperations
RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause
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