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| Criterion |  Operations Gemba Walk |  Growth A/B Testing |  Innovation Lean Startup |  Product Discovery Smoke Test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | When two variants compete, discussions quickly decide by taste rather than effect. A/B Testing checks behavior under controlled conditions and separates real improvement from chance or expectation effects. | For uncertain business assumptions, the method forces the idea into contact with real market reactions early. It separates wishful picture, assumption, and observable behavior, so that learning becomes faster than planning. This translates uncertainty into measurable insight. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | High | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 30-120 min | 1-4 Wochen | Wochen bis Monate je Lernzyklus | 1-5 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | 2-6 | 1-6 | 2-8 | Nutzertraffic |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Async | Workshop + async | Async |
Outputdifferent | Observation Notes, Improvement Ideas | Experiment results, Decision log, Learning summary | Hypothesis list, MVPs, Learning reports, Pivot or persevere decision | Interest Metrics, Conversion Signal, Learning Note |
Tagsno overlap | LeanObservationProcessOperations | ExperimentsGrowthAnalyticsValidation | LeanStartupValidationMVP | ValidationExperimentsDemandGrowth |