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| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Current Reality Tree |  Facilitation Stakeholder Mapping |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Facilitation Alignment Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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 a problem keeps recurring and the cause stays unclear, the method exposes the underlying mechanism. It separates symptom, guess, and robust explanation from one another. | 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 | High | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 2-6 h | 60–90 min | 1-4 h | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 2-8 | 3-8 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Current Reality Tree, Core Problems, Intervention Ideas | Stakeholder Map, Engagement Plan, Risk Notes | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions |
Tagsno overlap | Systems thinkingRoot causeConstraintsCausality | StakeholdersAlignmentFacilitationChange | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation |