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| Criterion |  Operations Gemba Walk |  Operations A3 Problem Solving |  Product Discovery Smoke Test |  Product Discovery Assumption Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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 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 demand only needs to be roughly verified, it tests interest with minimal effort. It measures whether people would take a next step at all. | When assumptions still sit unordered in the room, it weighs uncertainty against leverage. It makes visible which hypotheses should be checked first. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 30-120 min | 45-90 min | 1-5 Tage | 45-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-6 | 2-5 | Nutzertraffic | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Observation Notes, Improvement Ideas | A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis | Interest Metrics, Conversion Signal, Learning Note | Assumption map, Test backlog, Risk ranking |
Tagsno overlap | LeanObservationProcessOperations | LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations | ValidationExperimentsDemandGrowth | AssumptionsRiskExperimentsValidation |