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| Criterion | ![]() Systems Thinking CATWOE Analysis | ![]() Innovation How Might We | ![]() Operations Fishbone Diagram |
|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | CATWOE structures a problem from six viewpoints and prevents too narrow a view of the situation. Different experiences of the system become comparably discussable this way. | With a stuck problem carrying many implicit assumptions, the method translates observations into open, workable questions. It sharpens the problem frame without pre-thinking the solution, turning frustration or fuzziness into a search space with clear direction. | When a problem has several possible contributing factors, the method sorts causes by cause areas. It prevents an initial hunch from blocking the view of other plausible drivers. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | 30–45 min | 30-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 1-10 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | CATWOE Canvas, Root Definition, Stakeholder Perspectives, Constraints | HMW Questions, Challenge Framing, Idea Prompts | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog |
Tagsno overlap | Systems thinkingFramingStakeholders | FramingOpportunityIdeationQuestions | Root causeQualityOperations |
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