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| Criterion |  Operations Gemba Walk |  Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |  Operations 5 Whys |
|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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. | For a single, hard-to-explain deviation, the method exposes the causal chain behind the visible symptom. It keeps the cause open until a controllable condition emerges instead of a mere description. |
Complexitysame | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 30-120 min | 45-90 min | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-6 | 2-8 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Observation Notes, Improvement Ideas | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | LeanObservationProcessOperations | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |
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