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| Criterion |  Operations Gemba Walk |  Delivery Value Stream Mapping |  Operations Bottleneck Analysis |  Operations Theory of Constraints |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When there is uncertainty about the real course of a process, the method brings observation to the place where work happens. It combines perception, follow-up questions, and process knowledge so decisions rest on actual workflows instead of assumptions. | 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. | 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 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 | 30-120 min | 1-3 h | 1-3 h | 2-4 h Analyse, laufend |
Participantsdifferent | 2-6 | 4-10 | 3-8 | 3-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Observation Notes, Improvement Ideas | Current-state map, Future-state map, Bottleneck list | Bottleneck Map, Flow Metrics, Improvement Options, Follow-up Measures | Constraint Map, Improvement Plan, Flow Metrics |
Tagsno overlap | LeanObservationProcessOperations | LeanFlowWasteDelivery | FlowMeasurementConstraints | OperationsConstraintsFlowImprovement |