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| Criterion | ![]() Business Strategy Ansoff Matrix | ![]() Systems Thinking Iceberg Model | ![]() Systems Thinking Current Reality Tree | ![]() Operations Causal Factor Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | The Ansoff Matrix organizes growth options by market and product relation. It helps weigh expansion, diversification, and adaptation cleanly against each other. | The Iceberg Model separates visible events from patterns, structures, and mental models. This turns a single observation into a deeper understanding of why a problem keeps recurring. | A Current Reality Tree condenses many symptoms into a few causal chains. The method makes visible which core problems drive several negative effects at once. | 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 | Low | High | High |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | 30-60 min | 2-6 h | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 2-10 | 3-8 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Ansoff Matrix, Growth Options, Risk Notes | Iceberg Worksheet, Pattern Notes, Intervention Ideas | Current Reality Tree, Core Problems, Intervention Ideas | Event Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions |
Tagsno overlap | GrowthStrategyMarketPortfolio | Systems thinkingRoot causePatterns | Systems thinkingRoot causeConstraintsCausality | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline |



