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| Criterion |  Operations PDCA Cycle |  Innovation Design Thinking |  Innovation TRIZ |  Innovation Contradiction Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | For technical contradictions or trade-offs, the method looks for solutions that resolve opposing requirements at the same time. It translates limits into an explicit picture of conflict that becomes workable. This produces not just compromises but more elegant principles. | When a system should improve while another measure suffers as a result, the method makes the underlying conflict precisely formulable. It separates the desired effect from its side effect. This makes solutions possible that address the contradiction deliberately instead of half-heartedly. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | High | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1 h bis mehrere Wochen | 1 Tag bis mehrere Wochen | 1-4 h | 60-120 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-8 | 4-10 | 2-8 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | PDCA Log, Experiment Plan, Learning Outcome, Standard Change | Problem Statement, Prototype, Test Learnings | Contradiction Statement, Inventive Principles, Solution Concepts | Contradiction Statement, Abstraction Notes, Solution Principles, Concept Ideas |
Tagsno overlap | Continuous improvementLeanExperiments | InnovationPrototypeResearch | InnovationProblem solvingContradictionsCreativity | ContradictionsInnovationProblem solving |