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| Criterion |  Operations Gemba Walk |  Product Discovery Outcome-Driven Innovation |  Operations PDCA Cycle |  Operations Kaizen Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | Outcome-Driven Innovation clarifies customer problems, solution opportunities, and evidence. It separates jobs, desired outcomes, importance, satisfaction, and opportunity, and captures results as desired outcome statements, an opportunity landscape, and segments by underserved needs. | For an improvement that still has to prove itself in everyday work, the method runs it through small learning loops. It connects planning, checking, and standardization into a repeatable learning mode. | For a tightly scoped process segment with noticeable waste, the method bundles shared energy for change. It suits situations that call for fast learning loops and visible adjustments. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | High | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 30-120 min | Mehrere Wochen | 1 h bis mehrere Wochen | 0.5-5 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | 2-6 | 2-6 researchers plus sample | 1-8 | 4-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Observation Notes, Improvement Ideas | Desired outcome statements, Opportunity landscape, Segmentation by underserved needs, Innovation hypotheses | PDCA Log, Experiment Plan, Learning Outcome, Standard Change | Kaizen Charter, Waste List, Improvement Experiments, Standard Work Update |
Tagsno overlap | LeanObservationProcessOperations | OutcomesInnovationResearchQuantitative | Continuous improvementLeanExperiments | LeanContinuous improvementOperations |