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| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Futures Wheel |  Delivery Value Stream Mapping |  Engineering Kanban |  Operations Waste Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | The Futures Wheel helps explore the consequences of a decision, a trend, or a strategic move in a structured way. It makes visible which first, second, and third-order effects could arise from an event. | When delivery work dissolves into wait times, handoffs, and hidden effort, Value Stream Mapping makes the actual flow visible. The method exposes bottlenecks, idle time, and feedback loops so lead time and improvement levers become tangible. | When work sits in too many parallel streams, throughput suffers and no one sees the bottlenecks. Kanban makes the flow of work visible and limits overload so a system becomes calmer and more predictable. | For a process that keeps people busy but creates little value, the method exposes waste. It directs attention to unnecessary movement, waiting times, rework, and overdelivery. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 60-120 min | 1-3 h | Ongoing | 45-120 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 4-10 | 2-12 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Futures Wheel, Consequence Chains, Strategic Signals | Current-state map, Future-state map, Bottleneck list | Kanban board, WIP policies, Flow metrics | Waste Map, Prioritized Waste, Improvement Backlog |
Tagsno overlap | ForesightSystems thinkingSignals | LeanFlowWasteDelivery | FlowVisual managementDelivery | WasteLeanProcess improvement |