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| Criterion |  Innovation How Might We |  Operations A3 Problem Solving |  Operations Barrier Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | With a stuck problem carrying many implicit assumptions, the method translates observations into open, workable questions. It sharpens the problem frame without pre-thinking the solution, turning frustration or fuzziness into a search space with clear direction. | For a complex deviation with several people involved, the method bundles problem, analysis, and decision onto one page. It creates a shared working space where causes, countermeasures, and follow-up fit together. | For a risk that can only be managed through multiple layers of protection, the method examines the effectiveness of each barrier. It shows where safeguards are missing, too weak, or fail under real conditions. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 30–45 min | 45-90 min | 2-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 1-10 | 2-5 | 2-6 |
Formatsame | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | HMW Questions, Challenge Framing, Idea Prompts | A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis | Barrier Inventory, Failure Analysis per Barrier, Action Backlog |
Tagsno overlap | FramingOpportunityIdeationQuestions | LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations | Root causeSafetyIncident |
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Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.
