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| Criterion |  Decision Making PERT Estimation |  Delivery Value Stream Mapping |  Agile Ideal Days |  Engineering Kanban |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | On complex initiatives, a plain average tends to understate just how uncertain the outcome really is. It separates options, evaluation criteria, and open risks. The result is captured as a PERT Estimate, Expected Value, and Risk Notes. | 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. | When effort needs to be thought of as real working time, it offers a simple common denominator for comparison. It sorts work by value, risk, and delivery ability. The result is captured as Ideal Day Estimates, Assumption Notes, and Capacity Caveats. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 1-3 h | 15-60 min | Ongoing |
Participantsdifferent | 1-8 | 4-10 | 2-9 | 2-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | PERT Estimate, Expected Value, Risk Notes | Current-state map, Future-state map, Bottleneck list | Ideal Day Estimates, Assumption Notes, Capacity Caveats | Kanban board, WIP policies, Flow metrics |
Tagsno overlap | EstimationUncertaintyRisk | LeanFlowWasteDelivery | EstimationEffortAgile | FlowVisual managementDelivery |