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| Criterion |  Engineering Kanban |  Operations Process Mapping |  Operations A3 Problem Solving |  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. | With a confusing workflow that has many handoffs, the method makes the actual process visible. It shows where work is passed on, delayed, or duplicated, so improvement targets the right spots. | 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. |
Complexitysame | Medium | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | Ongoing | 1-3 h | 45-90 min | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-12 | 3-10 | 2-5 | 4-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Kanban board, WIP policies, Flow metrics | Process Map, Handoff List, Improvement Backlog | A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis | Current-state map, Future-state map, Bottleneck list |
Tagsno overlap | FlowVisual managementDelivery | ProcessOperationsImprovement | LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations | LeanFlowWasteDelivery |