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| Criterion |  Operations Gemba Walk |  Decision Making Constraint Analysis |  Decision Making Pre-Mortem |  Operations ALPEN Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 an initiative stalls, the limit often lies not in the idea but in hard or soft boundary conditions. Constraint Analysis separates these limits and shows which of them can actually be shaped. | In early initiatives with many uncertainties, planning quickly turns too optimistic. A pre-mortem makes the expected failure visible in advance and sharpens the view of causes, gaps, and countermeasures. | With an overloaded day full of too many tasks, a realistic picture of the day emerges. The method connects estimating, deciding, and buffer thinking so planning fits available energy and time. |
Complexitysame | Low | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 30-120 min | 30-90 min | 20–45 min | 10-20 min daily |
Participantsdifferent | 2-6 | 2-8 | Small cross-functional group | 1 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Async |
Outputdifferent | Observation Notes, Improvement Ideas | Constraint List, Hard/Soft Classification, Option Impact Notes, Decision Boundaries | Risk list, Mitigation plan, Assumption log | Daily Plan, Time Estimates, Review Notes |
Tagsno overlap | LeanObservationProcessOperations | ConstraintsDecisionPlanningOptions | RiskDecisionFailurePlanning | PlanningTime managementProductivityOperations |