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| Criterion |  Delivery Value Stream Mapping |  Knowledge Modeling Concept Mapping |  Engineering Kanban |  Operations 5 Whys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | Concept Mapping arranges terms and relationships in a network that makes subject-matter connections tangible. It fits when a topic needs to be understood structurally rather than linearly. | 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 single, hard-to-explain deviation, the method exposes the causal chain behind the visible symptom. It keeps the cause open until a controllable condition emerges instead of a mere description. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | 1-2 h | Ongoing | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | 4-10 | 1-8 | 2-12 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Current-state map, Future-state map, Bottleneck list | Concept Map, Relationship Labels, Knowledge Gaps | Kanban board, WIP policies, Flow metrics | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | LeanFlowWasteDelivery | KnowledgeConceptsMappingSensemaking | FlowVisual managementDelivery | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |