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Criterion
Four paper stations connect system purpose, quality goals, risk cards and focused investigation with a target and gap profile.
Architecture
LASR (Lightweight Approach for Software Reviews)
Paper illustration of an assumption matrix with prioritized test cards
Decision Making
Assumption Surfacing
A3 Problem-Solving workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Operations
A3 Problem Solving
Paper illustration for Kepner-Tregoe
Operations
Kepner-Tregoe
Purposedifferent
LASR helps development teams identify where their software falls short of important quality goals and which improvements to consider. A small group with existing system knowledge can make an initial assessment and investigate open questions in more detail.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 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 disturbance that's hard to pin down, the method cleanly separates problem, cause, and decision. It reduces mixing when symptoms allow several interpretations.
Complexitydifferent
MediumLowMediumHigh
Timedifferent
3–4 h for initial assessment; preparation and deeper analysis additional45-90 min45-90 min2-8 h
Participantsdifferent
1 or a small team; particularly suitable for 3–4 people2-82-52-8
Formatsame
Workshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Lean Mission Statement describing the software’s purpose, Prioritized quality goals and evaluation criteria, Risks and estimated gaps against quality goals, More closely examined findings and open checksAssumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning PlanA3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause AnalysisProblem Analysis, Decision Analysis, Risk Plan
Tagsno overlap
ArchitectureQualityRiskAssessmentLean
AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery
LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations
Problem solvingRoot causeDecisionOperations
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