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Criterion
Process Mapping method illustration showing its working structure
Operations
Process Mapping
Gemba Walk workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Operations
Gemba Walk
Paper illustration for Option Framing.
Decision Making
Option Framing
A3 Problem-Solving workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Operations
A3 Problem Solving
Purposedifferent
With a confusing workflow that has many handoffs, the method makes the actual process visible. It shows where work is passed on, delayed, or duplicated, so improvement targets the right spots.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 early decisions, alternatives are often still vague, incomplete, or blended together. Option Framing brings every possibility into a comparable form and makes visible which variant actually fits the question.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
MediumLowMediumMedium
Timedifferent
1-3 h30-120 min45-120 min45-90 min
Participantsdifferent
3-102-63-82-5
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Process Map, Handoff List, Improvement BacklogObservation Notes, Improvement IdeasOption Frames, Assumption Notes, Comparable Shortlist, Decision InputsA3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis
Tagsno overlap
ProcessOperationsImprovement
LeanObservationProcessOperations
OptionsDecision framingStrategyComparison
LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations
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