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| Criterion |  Agile Affinity Estimation |  Systems Thinking Systems Mapping |  Agile Ideal Days |  Systems Thinking Future Reality Tree |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When many tasks need to be classified quickly, it sorts them by perceived effort and similarity. It reduces the effort of fine-grained estimation for large volumes. | Systems Mapping arranges elements, relationships, and boundaries so a complex field becomes legible at a glance. The overview stabilizes the overall picture before detail work or steering begins. | 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. | A Future Reality Tree shows how desired actions are meant to lead to a better system state. The method checks whether a path of change holds together logically before time flows into implementation. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Low | High |
Timedifferent | 30-90 min | 1-3 h | 15-60 min | 2-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-12 | 3-12 | 2-9 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Affinity Size Map, Grouped Estimates, Unclear Items | System Map, Dependencies, Leverage Points | Ideal Day Estimates, Assumption Notes, Capacity Caveats | Future Reality Tree, Negative Branches, Assumption List, Improved Injections |
Tagsno overlap | EstimationBacklogRelative sizing | Systems thinkingMappingBoundariesChange | EstimationEffortAgile | Theory of ConstraintsSystems thinkingChange |