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Criterion
Incident Command workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
DevOps
Incident Command
Paper illustration of an assumption matrix with prioritized test cards
Decision Making
Assumption Surfacing
A 5 Whys working surface connects an observable problem with evidenced causes, marked uncertainty and concrete countermeasures with ownership.
Operations
5 Whys
A3 Problem-Solving workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Operations
A3 Problem Solving
Purposedifferent
During an acute incident with several people involved, the method creates a clear leadership and communication structure. It reduces chaos when fast coordination and clean situational awareness are both needed at once.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.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 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.
Complexitydifferent
MediumLowLowMedium
Timedifferent
As needed45-90 min15-30 min45-90 min
Participantsdifferent
4-152-82-62-5
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Incident Log, Action Tracker, Stakeholder UpdatesAssumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning PlanRoot cause notes, CountermeasuresA3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis
Tagsno overlap
IncidentOperationsReliability
AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery
Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving
LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations
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