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| Criterion |  Operations Gemba Walk |  Decision Making Delphi Method |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  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. | When knowledge is distributed and direct dominance should be avoided, groups quickly fall under the sway of their opinion leaders. The Delphi Method gathers assessments iteratively and gradually brings expert judgments closer together. | When a problem keeps recurring and the cause stays unclear, the method exposes the underlying mechanism. It separates symptom, guess, and robust explanation from one another. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | High | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 30-120 min | 1-4 Wochen | 1-4 h | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-6 | 6-30 Experten | 3-8 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Observation Notes, Improvement Ideas | Expert Forecast, Consensus Range, Assumption Notes | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | LeanObservationProcessOperations | ForecastingExpertsDecisionStrategy | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |