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| Criterion |  Operations Bottleneck Analysis |  Business Strategy Value Chain Analysis |  Decision Making Constraint Analysis |  Business Strategy TOWS Matrix |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | Value Chain Analysis shows where value is created, costs accrue, and differentiation becomes possible along the process. It compares strengths, risks, market logic, and courses of action. The result is captured as a value-chain map and lever list. | 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. | The TOWS Matrix connects internal strengths and weaknesses with external opportunities and threats into action-oriented strategies. It goes a step further than a pure stocktaking. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | High | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | Half day | 30-90 min | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 3-8 | 2-8 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Bottleneck Map, Flow Metrics, Improvement Options, Follow-up Measures | Value Chain Map, Lever List | Constraint List, Hard/Soft Classification, Option Impact Notes, Decision Boundaries | TOWS Matrix, Strategic Options, Priority Actions |
Tagsno overlap | FlowMeasurementConstraints | StrategyBusiness modelDiagnosisAnalysis | ConstraintsDecisionPlanningOptions | StrategyAnalysisOptions |