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| Criterion |  Delivery Value Stream Mapping |  Operations Process Mapping |  Operations Bottleneck Analysis |  Operations After-Action Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | With a confusing workflow that has many handoffs, the method makes the actual process visible. It shows where work is passed on, delayed, or duplicated, so improvement targets the right spots. | 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. | After missions or project phases with unclear outcomes, the method makes visible what actually happened and what can be learned from it. It separates course, effect, and causes so experience turns into solid improvement. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | 1-3 h | 1-3 h | 20-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | 4-10 | 3-10 | 3-8 | 3-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Current-state map, Future-state map, Bottleneck list | Process Map, Handoff List, Improvement Backlog | Bottleneck Map, Flow Metrics, Improvement Options, Follow-up Measures | Lessons learned, Action items, Event summary |
Tagsno overlap | LeanFlowWasteDelivery | ProcessOperationsImprovement | FlowMeasurementConstraints | LearningOperationsImprovement |