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| Criterion |  Engineering Kanban |  Operations A3 Problem Solving |  Delivery Value Stream Mapping |  Operations Kepner-Tregoe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 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 disturbance that's hard to pin down, the method cleanly separates problem, cause, and decision. It reduces mixing when symptoms allow several interpretations. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Medium | High |
Timedifferent | Ongoing | 45-90 min | 1-3 h | 2-8 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-12 | 2-5 | 4-10 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Kanban board, WIP policies, Flow metrics | A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis | Current-state map, Future-state map, Bottleneck list | Problem Analysis, Decision Analysis, Risk Plan |
Tagsno overlap | FlowVisual managementDelivery | LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations | LeanFlowWasteDelivery | Problem solvingRoot causeDecisionOperations |