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| Criterion |  Engineering Kanban |  Operations A3 Problem Solving |  Operations Gemba Walk |  Delivery Value Stream Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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 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. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | Ongoing | 45-90 min | 30-120 min | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-12 | 2-5 | 2-6 | 4-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Kanban board, WIP policies, Flow metrics | A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis | Observation Notes, Improvement Ideas | Current-state map, Future-state map, Bottleneck list |
Tagsno overlap | FlowVisual managementDelivery | LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations | LeanObservationProcessOperations | LeanFlowWasteDelivery |