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| Criterion |  Decision Making Constraint Analysis |  Decision Making Decision Rights Mapping |  Business Strategy TOWS Matrix |  Facilitation Alignment Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When an initiative stalls, the limit often lies not in the idea but in hard or soft boundary conditions. Constraint Analysis separates these limits and shows which of them can actually be shaped. | In organizations with many stakeholders, it often blurs who actually decides and who is merely consulted. It separates options, evaluation criteria, and open risks. The result is captured as a Decision Rights matrix and an agreement. | The TOWS Matrix connects internal strengths and weaknesses with external opportunities and threats into action-oriented strategies. It goes a step further than a pure stocktaking. | 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 | Low | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 30-90 min | 90-180 min | 1-2 h | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 4-12 | 3-10 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Constraint List, Hard/Soft Classification, Option Impact Notes, Decision Boundaries | Decision Rights Matrix, Agreement | TOWS Matrix, Strategic Options, Priority Actions | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions |
Tagsno overlap | ConstraintsDecisionPlanningOptions | DecisionGovernanceAlignmentResponsibility | StrategyAnalysisOptions | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation |