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| Criterion |  Decision Making Constraint Analysis |  Operations Bottleneck Analysis |  Operations A3 Problem Solving |  Operations Theory of Constraints |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | 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. | For a complex deviation with several people involved, the method bundles problem, analysis, and decision onto one page. It creates a shared working space where causes, countermeasures, and follow-up fit together. | For a system that does not get faster despite effort, the method directs attention to the bottleneck. It concentrates improvement on the point that actually limits throughput. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Medium | High |
Timedifferent | 30-90 min | 1-3 h | 45-90 min | 2-4 h Analyse, laufend |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 3-8 | 2-5 | 3-12 |
Formatsame | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Constraint List, Hard/Soft Classification, Option Impact Notes, Decision Boundaries | Bottleneck Map, Flow Metrics, Improvement Options, Follow-up Measures | A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis | Constraint Map, Improvement Plan, Flow Metrics |
Tagsno overlap | ConstraintsDecisionPlanningOptions | FlowMeasurementConstraints | LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations | OperationsConstraintsFlowImprovement |