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| Criterion |  Operations Kaizen Event |  Innovation Lean Startup |  Product Discovery Smoke Test |  Operations PDCA Cycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | 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. | When demand only needs to be roughly verified, it tests interest with minimal effort. It measures whether people would take a next step at all. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 0.5-5 Tage | Wochen bis Monate je Lernzyklus | 1-5 Tage | 1 h bis mehrere Wochen |
Participantsdifferent | 4-10 | 2-8 | Nutzertraffic | 1-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Kaizen Charter, Waste List, Improvement Experiments, Standard Work Update | Hypothesis list, MVPs, Learning reports, Pivot or persevere decision | Interest Metrics, Conversion Signal, Learning Note | PDCA Log, Experiment Plan, Learning Outcome, Standard Change |
Tagsno overlap | LeanContinuous improvementOperations | LeanStartupValidationMVP | ValidationExperimentsDemandGrowth | Continuous improvementLeanExperiments |