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Criterion
Paper illustration for Affinity Estimation.
Agile
Affinity Estimation
Paper illustration of a horizontal story map with an activity backbone, task cards below it and a cross-map release line.
Product Discovery
User Story Mapping
Paper illustration for Alignment Mapping.
Facilitation
Alignment Mapping
Stakeholder Mapping
Facilitation
Stakeholder Mapping
Purposedifferent
When many tasks need to be classified quickly, it sorts them by perceived effort and similarity. It reduces the effort of fine-grained estimation for large volumes.When user goals and delivery scope could drift apart, it orders the journey from goal to slice. It makes visible where an MVP can genuinely be cut.When several people work toward one goal but hold different mental maps, Alignment Mapping makes the discrepancies visible. It arranges goals, assumptions, and priorities so shared direction becomes verifiable.When an initiative depends on many people, interests, and power dynamics, Stakeholder Mapping systematically orders the environment. It shows who influences, who is affected, and where relationship management or safeguarding matters first.
Complexitydifferent
MediumMediumMediumLow
Timedifferent
30-90 min2-4 h1-2 h60–90 min
Participantsdifferent
3-124-104-122-8
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshopWorkshopWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Affinity Size Map, Grouped Estimates, Unclear ItemsStory Map, Release Slices, Backlog CandidatesAlignment Map, Open Issues, Decision QuestionsStakeholder Map, Engagement Plan, Risk Notes
Tagsno overlap
EstimationBacklogRelative sizing
BacklogJourneyPlanningMVP
AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation
StakeholdersAlignmentFacilitationChange
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