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| Criterion | ![]() Systems Thinking CATWOE Analysis | ![]() Knowledge Modeling Knowledge Mapping | ![]() Systems Thinking Evaporating Cloud | ![]() Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | Knowledge Mapping makes knowledge, gaps, and transfer paths visible across a field. It fits when expertise should not just exist but also be findable and transferable. | The method makes visible why two seemingly incompatible demands arise and which assumption must be tested to resolve the conflict. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | 1-3 h | 60-120 min | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 3-12 | 2-8 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | CATWOE Canvas, Root Definition, Stakeholder Perspectives, Constraints | Knowledge Map, Critical Knowledge Areas, Transfer Plan | Conflict Cloud, Assumption List, Breakthrough Ideas, Next Experiments | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan |
Tagsno overlap | Systems thinkingFramingStakeholders | KnowledgeMappingRisk | Theory of ConstraintsAssumptionsSystems thinking | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery |



