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| Criterion | ![]() Product Discovery Outcome-Driven Innovation | ![]() Operations PDCA Cycle | ![]() Operations Gemba Walk | ![]() Operations A3 Problem Solving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | Outcome-Driven Innovation clarifies customer problems, solution opportunities, and evidence. It separates jobs, desired outcomes, importance, satisfaction, and opportunity, and captures results as desired outcome statements, an opportunity landscape, and segments by underserved needs. | 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. | 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. | 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 | High | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | Mehrere Wochen | 1 h bis mehrere Wochen | 30-120 min | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-6 researchers plus sample | 1-8 | 2-6 | 2-5 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Desired outcome statements, Opportunity landscape, Segmentation by underserved needs, Innovation hypotheses | PDCA Log, Experiment Plan, Learning Outcome, Standard Change | Observation Notes, Improvement Ideas | A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis |
Tagsno overlap | OutcomesInnovationResearchQuantitative | Continuous improvementLeanExperiments | LeanObservationProcessOperations | LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations |



