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| Criterion |  Operations DMAIC |  Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Operations Kepner-Tregoe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | For a process problem with fluctuating performance, the method brings analysis and improvement into a disciplined sequence. It creates a framework in which numbers, causes, and control come together. | Plans often contain assumptions that were never openly stated and remain dangerous precisely because of that. Assumption Surfacing makes these silent premises visible and prioritizes which of them carry the initiative or could sink it. | When a problem keeps recurring and the cause stays unclear, the method exposes the underlying mechanism. It separates symptom, guess, and robust explanation from one another. | 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 | High | Low | Medium | High |
Timedifferent | 2-12 Wochen | 45-90 min | 1-4 h | 2-8 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 2-8 | 3-8 | 2-8 |
Formatsame | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Project Charter, Measurement Plan, Cause Analysis, Control Plan | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Problem Analysis, Decision Analysis, Risk Plan |
Tagsno overlap | Continuous improvementQualityProcess improvement | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | Problem solvingRoot causeDecisionOperations |