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| Criterion |  Facilitation Dot Estimation |  Product Strategy Impact Mapping |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |  Operations ALPEN Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | When a goal needs to be connected to several possible paths, it shows chains of impact instead of feature lists. It connects business goal, behavior change, and measures. | When a problem has several possible contributing factors, the method sorts causes by cause areas. It prevents an initial hunch from blocking the view of other plausible drivers. | With an overloaded day full of too many tasks, a realistic picture of the day emerges. The method connects estimating, deciding, and buffer thinking so planning fits available energy and time. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 5-20 min | 45-90 min | 30-60 min | 10-20 min daily |
Participantsdifferent | 3-20 | 3-8 | 2-8 | 1 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop | Async |
Outputdifferent | Effort Heatmap, Risk Signals, Discussion Targets | Impact Map, Outcome Hypotheses, Delivery Options | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog | Daily Plan, Time Estimates, Review Notes |
Tagsno overlap | EstimationEffortRisk | OutcomesStrategyBehaviorPlanning | Root causeQualityOperations | PlanningTime managementProductivityOperations |