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| Criterion |  UX Research Contextual Inquiry |  Delivery Value Stream Mapping |  Operations A3 Problem Solving |  Engineering Kanban |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 delivery work dissolves into wait times, handoffs, and hidden effort, Value Stream Mapping makes the actual flow visible. The method exposes bottlenecks, idle time, and feedback loops so lead time and improvement levers become tangible. | 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. | When work sits in too many parallel streams, throughput suffers and no one sees the bottlenecks. Kanban makes the flow of work visible and limits overload so a system becomes calmer and more predictable. |
Complexitysame | Medium | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-3 Wochen | 1-3 h | 45-90 min | Ongoing |
Participantsdifferent | 4-12 Beobachtungen | 4-10 | 2-5 | 2-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Field Notes, Workflow Insights, Pain Points | Current-state map, Future-state map, Bottleneck list | A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis | Kanban board, WIP policies, Flow metrics |
Tagsno overlap | UX researchObservationContext | LeanFlowWasteDelivery | LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations | FlowVisual managementDelivery |