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| Criterion |  Innovation Worst Possible Idea |  Operations A3 Problem Solving |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Innovation Brainstorming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | For a seemingly familiar problem with paralyzing seriousness, the method dissolves pressure and fear of judgment. It deliberately makes failure pictures extreme, so hidden assumptions become visible faster. This clarifies what a workable path should avoid. | 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. | 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 a team faces an open question with many obvious directions, the method first creates breadth instead of premature commitment. It separates idea flow from evaluation and makes lines of thought visible, creating a pool for selection and further development. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 20-45 min | 45-90 min | 1-4 h | 30-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-12 | 2-5 | 3-8 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Bad Idea List, Reframed Concepts, Idea Shortlist | A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Idea pool, Theme clusters, Shortlist |
Tagsno overlap | IdeationCreativityDivergence | LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | BrainstormingIdeationCreativityWorkshopDivergence |