View methods side by side.
Choose up to four methods. Add them using the search and share the comparison by copying its link.
| Criterion |  Engineering Kanban |  Delivery Value Stream Mapping |  Systems Thinking Theory of Constraints Thinking Process |  Operations Bottleneck Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 Theory of Constraints Thinking Process exposes a system's bottleneck and the logic behind it. It suits situations where many symptoms trace back to the same limiting relationship. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | Ongoing | 1-3 h | 0.5-3 Tage | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-12 | 4-10 | 4-10 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Kanban board, WIP policies, Flow metrics | Current-state map, Future-state map, Bottleneck list | Current Reality Logic, Conflict Cloud, Future Reality Tree, Implementation Obstacles | Bottleneck Map, Flow Metrics, Improvement Options, Follow-up Measures |
Tagsno overlap | FlowVisual managementDelivery | LeanFlowWasteDelivery | Theory of ConstraintsConstraintsSystems thinkingCausality | FlowMeasurementConstraints |