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| Criterion |  Innovation Design Thinking |  Operations Gemba Walk |  Innovation TRIZ |  Operations 5 Whys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | For technical contradictions or trade-offs, the method looks for solutions that resolve opposing requirements at the same time. It translates limits into an explicit picture of conflict that becomes workable. This produces not just compromises but more elegant principles. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Low | High | Low |
Timedifferent | 1 Tag bis mehrere Wochen | 30-120 min | 1-4 h | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | 4-10 | 2-6 | 2-8 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Problem Statement, Prototype, Test Learnings | Observation Notes, Improvement Ideas | Contradiction Statement, Inventive Principles, Solution Concepts | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | InnovationPrototypeResearch | LeanObservationProcessOperations | InnovationProblem solvingContradictionsCreativity | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |