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| Criterion |  Operations Bottleneck Analysis |  Engineering Kanban |  Product Strategy SMART Goals |  Delivery Communication Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | When work sits in too many parallel streams, throughput suffers and no one sees the bottlenecks. Kanban makes the flow of work visible and limits overload so a system becomes calmer and more predictable. | When goals are formulated too generally, it brings measurability, direction, and timing into shape. It prevents intentions from staying without clear verification. | When many people need to be informed in parallel and messages would otherwise arrive unevenly or too late, a Communication Plan orders communication reliably. Channels, audiences, and cadences interlock so important information doesn't get lost. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | Ongoing | 15-30 min | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 2-12 | 1-8 | 2-6 |
Formatsame | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Bottleneck Map, Flow Metrics, Improvement Options, Follow-up Measures | Kanban board, WIP policies, Flow metrics | SMART Goal, Measurement Note, Deadline | Communication Plan, Channel Matrix, Message Cadence |
Tagsno overlap | FlowMeasurementConstraints | FlowVisual managementDelivery | GoalsPlanningMeasurementAlignment | CommunicationStakeholdersDeliveryPlanning |