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| Criterion |  Operations Gemba Walk |  Operations Process Mapping |  Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |
|---|---|---|---|
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. | With a confusing workflow that has many handoffs, the method makes the actual process visible. It shows where work is passed on, delayed, or duplicated, so improvement targets the right spots. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 30-120 min | 1-3 h | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-6 | 3-10 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Observation Notes, Improvement Ideas | Process Map, Handoff List, Improvement Backlog | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan |
Tagsno overlap | LeanObservationProcessOperations | ProcessOperationsImprovement | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery |
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Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.
