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| Criterion |  Operations PDCA Cycle |  Product Discovery Assumption Mapping |  Innovation Design Thinking |  Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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 assumptions still sit unordered in the room, it weighs uncertainty against leverage. It makes visible which hypotheses should be checked first. | For complex user problems with an uncertain cause, the method connects observation, interpretation, and experiment into a learning cycle. It keeps the focus on real needs and avoids premature solution language. This produces robust decisions for product and service. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | High | Low |
Timedifferent | 1 h bis mehrere Wochen | 45-60 min | 1 Tag bis mehrere Wochen | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-8 | 2-8 | 4-10 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | PDCA Log, Experiment Plan, Learning Outcome, Standard Change | Assumption map, Test backlog, Risk ranking | Problem Statement, Prototype, Test Learnings | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan |
Tagsno overlap | Continuous improvementLeanExperiments | AssumptionsRiskExperimentsValidation | InnovationPrototypeResearch | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery |