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| Criterion |  Operations PDCA Cycle |  Engineering Hypothesis-Driven Troubleshooting |  Operations Gemba Walk |  Engineering Fault Isolation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 systems fail unexpectedly, spontaneous attempts often produce more noise than insight. Hypothesis-driven Troubleshooting translates symptoms into testable assumptions and makes troubleshooting learnable. | 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. | In technical failures, the visible symptom often gets mixed up with the actual cause. Fault Isolation narrows the fault space and progressively reduces which part of the system is truly affected. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1 h bis mehrere Wochen | 30-240 min | 30-120 min | 30-180 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-8 | 1-6 | 2-6 | 1-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | PDCA Log, Experiment Plan, Learning Outcome, Standard Change | Hypothesis Log, Test Plan, Evidence Notes, Diagnosis Summary | Observation Notes, Improvement Ideas | Fault Isolation Map, Test Log, Excluded Hypotheses, Narrowed Fault Area |
Tagsno overlap | Continuous improvementLeanExperiments | TroubleshootingProblem solvingDiagnosis | LeanObservationProcessOperations | TroubleshootingDiagnosisEngineering |