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| Criterion |  Innovation Design Thinking |  Operations Gemba Walk |  Product Discovery Outcome-Driven Innovation |  Operations A3 Problem Solving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | For complex user problems with an uncertain cause, the method connects observation, interpretation, and experiment into a learning cycle. It keeps the focus on real needs and avoids premature solution language. This produces robust decisions for product and service. | 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. | Outcome-Driven Innovation clarifies customer problems, solution opportunities, and evidence. It separates jobs, desired outcomes, importance, satisfaction, and opportunity, and captures results as desired outcome statements, an opportunity landscape, and segments by underserved needs. | 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 | High | Low | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1 Tag bis mehrere Wochen | 30-120 min | Mehrere Wochen | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 4-10 | 2-6 | 2-6 researchers plus sample | 2-5 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Problem Statement, Prototype, Test Learnings | Observation Notes, Improvement Ideas | Desired outcome statements, Opportunity landscape, Segmentation by underserved needs, Innovation hypotheses | A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis |
Tagsno overlap | InnovationPrototypeResearch | LeanObservationProcessOperations | OutcomesInnovationResearchQuantitative | LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations |