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| Criterion | ![]() Engineering Kanban | ![]() Delivery Value Stream Mapping | ![]() Architecture C4 Model | ![]() Delivery Communication Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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. | The C4 Model makes a system legible across several resolution levels, from context down to code. It suits situations where different audiences need to understand the same architecture from different altitudes. | When many people need to be informed in parallel and messages would otherwise arrive unevenly or too late, a Communication Plan orders communication reliably. Channels, audiences, and cadences interlock so important information doesn't get lost. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | Ongoing | 1-3 h | 1-4 h | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-12 | 4-10 | 1-5 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Kanban board, WIP policies, Flow metrics | Current-state map, Future-state map, Bottleneck list | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram | Communication Plan, Channel Matrix, Message Cadence |
Tagsno overlap | FlowVisual managementDelivery | LeanFlowWasteDelivery | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization | CommunicationStakeholdersDeliveryPlanning |



