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| Criterion |  Engineering Kanban |  Operations Bottleneck Analysis |  Systems Thinking Causal Loop Diagram |  Systems Thinking Stock and Flow Diagram |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 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. | A Causal Loop Diagram makes feedback, reinforcement, and balance in a system legible. It uncovers side effects and self-reinforcement that stay hidden in linear explanations. | A Stock and Flow Diagram shows how stocks, inflows, and outflows shape a system over time. It is especially suited when growth, delays, or capacity limits determine the dynamics. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Medium | High |
Timedifferent | Ongoing | 1-3 h | 1-3 h | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-12 | 3-8 | 2-8 | 1-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Kanban board, WIP policies, Flow metrics | Bottleneck Map, Flow Metrics, Improvement Options, Follow-up Measures | Causal Loop Diagram, Feedback Notes, Leverage Points | Stock and Flow Model, Dynamics Notes, Simulation Hypotheses |
Tagsno overlap | FlowVisual managementDelivery | FlowMeasurementConstraints | FeedbackSystems thinkingCausalityDynamics | DynamicsSimulationFeedbackSystems thinking |