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Criterion
Value Stream Mapping workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Delivery
Value Stream Mapping
Paper illustration for Waste Analysis.
Operations
Waste Analysis
Paper illustration for Causal Factor Analysis.
Operations
Causal Factor Analysis
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.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 an event with a complicated course, the method breaks down the contributing factors along the timeline. It shows how conditions, decisions, and reactions together produce a course of events.
Complexitydifferent
MediumLowHigh
Timedifferent
1-3 h45-120 min2-6 h
Participantsdifferent
4-102-83-10
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshopWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Current-state map, Future-state map, Bottleneck listWaste Map, Prioritized Waste, Improvement BacklogEvent Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions
Tagsno overlap
LeanFlowWasteDelivery
WasteLeanProcess improvement
CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline
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Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Paper illustration of Barrier Analysis with its method-specific working model.
Operations
Barrier Analysis
Paper illustration for Current Reality Tree
Systems Thinking
Current Reality Tree
Paper illustration of Family Tree Analysis with its method-specific working model.
Operations
Family Tree Analysis