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| Criterion |  Operations Gemba Walk |  Operations A3 Problem Solving |  Innovation Starbursting |  Innovation Lotus Blossom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | Helps clarify ideas, open questions, and testable next steps in concrete terms. It opens the thinking space, collects ideas, and leads to testable options. The result is captured as a star-shaped question map, question list, and assumption list. | When a central question feels too large, the method breaks it into neighboring topic fields with their own depth of ideation. It holds structure and openness at the same time, so adjacent perspectives don't get lost. This grows an idea space out of a core problem. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 30-120 min | 45-90 min | 30-60 min | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-6 | 2-5 | 3-10 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Observation Notes, Improvement Ideas | A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis | Star-Shaped Question Map, Question List, Assumption List | Lotus Diagram, Idea Themes, Shortlist |
Tagsno overlap | LeanObservationProcessOperations | LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations | BrainstormingIdeationWorkshopDiscovery | BrainstormingIdeationCreativityDivergenceWorkshop |