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| Criterion |  Systems Thinking CATWOE Analysis |  Facilitation Stakeholder Mapping |  Agile Affinity Estimation |  Facilitation Alignment Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | When an initiative depends on many people, interests, and power dynamics, Stakeholder Mapping systematically orders the environment. It shows who influences, who is affected, and where relationship management or safeguarding matters first. | 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. | When several people work toward one goal but hold different mental maps, Alignment Mapping makes the discrepancies visible. It arranges goals, assumptions, and priorities so shared direction becomes verifiable. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | 60–90 min | 30-90 min | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 2-8 | 3-12 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | CATWOE Canvas, Root Definition, Stakeholder Perspectives, Constraints | Stakeholder Map, Engagement Plan, Risk Notes | Affinity Size Map, Grouped Estimates, Unclear Items | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions |
Tagsno overlap | Systems thinkingFramingStakeholders | StakeholdersAlignmentFacilitationChange | EstimationBacklogRelative sizing | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation |