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| Criterion |  Operations Waste Analysis |  Delivery Value Stream Mapping |  Operations Family Tree Analysis |  Operations Causal Factor Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | 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 series of incidents with a similar pattern, the method arranges individual events as branches of a common origin. It makes visible which conditions keep recurring. | 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 | Low | Medium | Medium | High |
Timedifferent | 45-120 min | 1-3 h | 2-4 h | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 4-10 | 2-6 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Waste Map, Prioritized Waste, Improvement Backlog | Current-state map, Future-state map, Bottleneck list | Family Tree Diagram, Pattern Notes, Systemic Measures | Event Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions |
Tagsno overlap | WasteLeanProcess improvement | LeanFlowWasteDelivery | Root causePatternsIncidentSystemic | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline |