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Criterion
Paper illustration for Design Studio
UX Design
Design Studio
Gemba Walk workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Operations
Gemba Walk
A 5 Whys working surface connects an observable problem with evidenced causes, marked uncertainty and concrete countermeasures with ownership.
Operations
5 Whys
Paper illustration for Kepner-Tregoe
Operations
Kepner-Tregoe
Purposedifferent
When several designs need to be quickly put in relation to each other, it makes ideas visible and comparable. It encourages early variants instead of long upfront debates.When there is uncertainty about the real course of a process, the method brings observation to the place where work happens. It combines perception, follow-up questions, and process knowledge so decisions rest on actual workflows instead of assumptions.For a single, hard-to-explain deviation, the method exposes the causal chain behind the visible symptom. It keeps the cause open until a controllable condition emerges instead of a mere description.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
MediumLowLowHigh
Timedifferent
1-3 h30-120 min15-30 min2-8 h
Participantsdifferent
3-82-62-62-8
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshopWorkshopWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Sketches, Concept Directions, Design DecisionsObservation Notes, Improvement IdeasRoot cause notes, CountermeasuresProblem Analysis, Decision Analysis, Risk Plan
Tagsno overlap
SketchingCollaborationIdeation
LeanObservationProcessOperations
Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving
Problem solvingRoot causeDecisionOperations
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