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| Criterion |  Engineering Kanban |  Operations Waste Analysis |  Operations Root Cause Tree Analysis |  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. | For a process that keeps people busy but creates little value, the method exposes waste. It directs attention to unnecessary movement, waiting times, rework, and overdelivery. | For a problem with several suspected causes, the method builds a causal structure instead of a mere list. It makes visible how causes connect and where the strongest points of leverage lie. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | Ongoing | 45-120 min | 1-3 h | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-12 | 2-8 | 2-8 | 4-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Kanban board, WIP policies, Flow metrics | Waste Map, Prioritized Waste, Improvement Backlog | Cause Tree, Evidence Notes, Countermeasures | Current-state map, Future-state map, Bottleneck list |
Tagsno overlap | FlowVisual managementDelivery | WasteLeanProcess improvement | Root causeTreeIncidentQuality | LeanFlowWasteDelivery |