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| Criterion |  Operations Standard Work Analysis |  UX Research Contextual Inquiry |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Operations Gemba Walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When the same task is done differently depending on the person, the method exposes the reliable core. It creates comparability without unnecessarily choking off needed latitude. | When work processes are known only from accounts and the real context stays hidden, Contextual Inquiry makes behavior at the workplace visible. Observation and follow-up questions together show how people actually work, get interrupted, and improvise. | When a problem keeps recurring and the cause stays unclear, the method exposes the underlying mechanism. It separates symptom, guess, and robust explanation from one another. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | 1-3 Wochen | 1-4 h | 30-120 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-6 | 4-12 Beobachtungen | 3-8 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Standard Work Sheet, Deviation List, Improved Standard, Training Needs | Field Notes, Workflow Insights, Pain Points | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Observation Notes, Improvement Ideas |
Tagsno overlap | LeanProcessQuality | UX researchObservationContext | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | LeanObservationProcessOperations |