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| Criterion |  Operations Gemba Walk |  Product Discovery Assumption Mapping |  Operations A3 Problem Solving |  Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 assumptions still sit unordered in the room, it weighs uncertainty against leverage. It makes visible which hypotheses should be checked first. | 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. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 30-120 min | 45-60 min | 45-90 min | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-6 | 2-8 | 2-5 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Observation Notes, Improvement Ideas | Assumption map, Test backlog, Risk ranking | A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan |
Tagsno overlap | LeanObservationProcessOperations | AssumptionsRiskExperimentsValidation | LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery |