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| Criterion |  Operations PDCA Cycle |  Innovation Design Thinking |  Product Discovery Test Card |  Innovation Design Sprint |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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. | The Test Card turns a critical assumption into a testable claim and specifies in advance which result counts as success. | When the product question is unclear and time pressure is high, the method takes a team from an open idea to a testable solution. It connects problem understanding, decision, and learning in one compact format, lowering the risk of spending a lot of energy on a mere guess. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | High | Low | High |
Timedifferent | 1 h bis mehrere Wochen | 1 Tag bis mehrere Wochen | 20-35 min | 4-5 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | 1-8 | 4-10 | 1-5 | 5-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | PDCA Log, Experiment Plan, Learning Outcome, Standard Change | Problem Statement, Prototype, Test Learnings | Test Card with a pre-set threshold | Prototype, Test Findings, Decision Rationale |
Tagsno overlap | Continuous improvementLeanExperiments | InnovationPrototypeResearch | ExperimentsValidationDiscoveryHypothesis | Design sprintPrototypeValidationInnovation |