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| Criterion |  Operations Gemba Walk |  Product Discovery Pretotyping |  Operations 5 Whys |  Innovation Lean Startup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | Pretotyping clarifies whether a customer problem and solution idea create enough real demand. It separates problem, assumption, solution, and evidence, and captures the result as a pretotyping sketch, test setup, and conversion data. | 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. | For uncertain business assumptions, the method forces the idea into contact with real market reactions early. It separates wishful picture, assumption, and observable behavior, so that learning becomes faster than planning. This translates uncertainty into measurable insight. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 30-120 min | Stunden bis wenige Tage | 15-30 min | Wochen bis Monate je Lernzyklus |
Participantsdifferent | 2-6 | 1-4 | 2-6 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Observation Notes, Improvement Ideas | Pretotyping sketch, Test setup, Conversion data, Go or no-go decision | Root cause notes, Countermeasures | Hypothesis list, MVPs, Learning reports, Pivot or persevere decision |
Tagsno overlap | LeanObservationProcessOperations | ValidationDemandMVP | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving | LeanStartupValidationMVP |