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| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Current Reality Tree |  Systems Thinking Evaporating Cloud |  Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |  Systems Thinking Causal Loop Diagram |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | A Current Reality Tree condenses many symptoms into a few causal chains. The method makes visible which core problems drive several negative effects at once. | 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. | A Causal Loop Diagram makes feedback, reinforcement, and balance in a system legible. It uncovers side effects and self-reinforcement that stay hidden in linear explanations. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 2-6 h | 60-120 min | 45-90 min | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 2-8 | 2-8 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Current Reality Tree, Core Problems, Intervention Ideas | Conflict Cloud, Assumption List, Breakthrough Ideas, Next Experiments | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan | Causal Loop Diagram, Feedback Notes, Leverage Points |
Tagsno overlap | Systems thinkingRoot causeConstraintsCausality | Theory of ConstraintsAssumptionsSystems thinking | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery | FeedbackSystems thinkingCausalityDynamics |