View methods side by side.
Choose up to four methods. Add them using the search and share the comparison by copying its link.
| Criterion |  Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |  Knowledge Modeling IBIS |  Systems Thinking Future Reality Tree |  Decision Making Argument Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | Plans often contain assumptions that were never openly stated and remain dangerous precisely because of that. Assumption Surfacing makes these silent premises visible and prioritizes which of them carry the initiative or could sink it. | IBIS structures thinking about complex questions as a sequence of issues, ideas, and arguments. The method keeps discussions open without forcing them into premature consensus. | 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. | When statements, evidence, and counterarguments get mixed up, a debate quickly loses its structure. Argument Mapping breaks a thesis down into its reasoning and makes visible what it really rests on. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | 1-3 h | 2-4 h | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 2-8 | 3-8 | 1-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan | Issue Map, Positions, Argument Notes | Future Reality Tree, Negative Branches, Assumption List, Improved Injections | Argument Map, Evidence Gaps, Decision Rationale |
Tagsno overlap | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery | RationaleKnowledgeDecision | Theory of ConstraintsSystems thinkingChange | SensemakingDecisionRationale |