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| Criterion |  Operations Bottleneck Analysis |  Operations ALPEN Method |  Operations Gemba Walk |  Decision Making Constraint Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | For a flow that backs up at one point, the method looks for the capacity limit with the greatest leverage. It explains why extra effort elsewhere barely improves throughput. | With an overloaded day full of too many tasks, a realistic picture of the day emerges. The method connects estimating, deciding, and buffer thinking so planning fits available energy and time. | 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. | When an initiative stalls, the limit often lies not in the idea but in hard or soft boundary conditions. Constraint Analysis separates these limits and shows which of them can actually be shaped. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | 10-20 min daily | 30-120 min | 30-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 1 | 2-6 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Bottleneck Map, Flow Metrics, Improvement Options, Follow-up Measures | Daily Plan, Time Estimates, Review Notes | Observation Notes, Improvement Ideas | Constraint List, Hard/Soft Classification, Option Impact Notes, Decision Boundaries |
Tagsno overlap | FlowMeasurementConstraints | PlanningTime managementProductivityOperations | LeanObservationProcessOperations | ConstraintsDecisionPlanningOptions |