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| Criterion |  Agile Bucket System |  Facilitation Dot Estimation |  Operations Barrier Analysis |  Agile Affinity Estimation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a large batch of work needs a fast, rough estimate, it sorts items into predefined size buckets. It sorts work by value, risk, and delivery ability. The result is captured as a Bucketed Backlog, Relative Estimates, and Split Candidates. | When size or effort can only be estimated roughly, Dot Estimation condenses the group's experience into a quick range. It turns individual contributions into a visible selection. The result is captured as an Effort Heatmap, Risk Signals, and Discussion Targets. | For a risk that can only be managed through multiple layers of protection, the method examines the effectiveness of each barrier. It shows where safeguards are missing, too weak, or fail under real conditions. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 30-90 min | 5-20 min | 2-4 h | 30-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-12 | 3-20 | 2-6 | 3-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Bucketed Backlog, Relative Estimates, Split Candidates | Effort Heatmap, Risk Signals, Discussion Targets | Barrier Inventory, Failure Analysis per Barrier, Action Backlog | Affinity Size Map, Grouped Estimates, Unclear Items |
Tagsno overlap | EstimationBacklogRelative sizing | EstimationEffortRisk | Root causeSafetyIncident | EstimationBacklogRelative sizing |