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| Criterion |  Agile Bucket System |  Agile Ideal Days |  Systems Thinking Future Reality Tree |  Facilitation Dot 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 effort needs to be thought of as real working time, it offers a simple common denominator for comparison. It sorts work by value, risk, and delivery ability. The result is captured as Ideal Day Estimates, Assumption Notes, and Capacity Caveats. | A Future Reality Tree shows how desired actions are meant to lead to a better system state. The method checks whether a path of change holds together logically before time flows into implementation. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | High | Low |
Timedifferent | 30-90 min | 15-60 min | 2-4 h | 5-20 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-12 | 2-9 | 3-8 | 3-20 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Bucketed Backlog, Relative Estimates, Split Candidates | Ideal Day Estimates, Assumption Notes, Capacity Caveats | Future Reality Tree, Negative Branches, Assumption List, Improved Injections | Effort Heatmap, Risk Signals, Discussion Targets |
Tagsno overlap | EstimationBacklogRelative sizing | EstimationEffortAgile | Theory of ConstraintsSystems thinkingChange | EstimationEffortRisk |