View methods side by side.
Choose up to four methods. Add them using the search and share the comparison by copying its link.
| Criterion | ![]() Decision Making Cynefin Workshop | ![]() Engineering Failure Scenario Analysis | ![]() Decision Making Risk Matrix | ![]() Decision Making Pre-Mortem |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When problems are unclear, chaotic, or only seemingly familiar, standard recipes fall short. A Cynefin Workshop sorts situations by the nature of their problem and connects them with matching action logic. | In critical processes, it is not enough to plan only for the normal case. Failure Scenario Analysis looks at the path into failure and shows which failures, chains, and control gaps cause the most damage. | When a project faces many possible disruptions, it quickly becomes unclear which risks deserve attention first. It separates options, evaluation criteria, and open risks. The result is captured as a Risk Matrix and a Top Risk List. | In early initiatives with many uncertainties, planning quickly turns too optimistic. A pre-mortem makes the expected failure visible in advance and sharpens the view of causes, gaps, and countermeasures. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 60-180 min | 1-3 h | 30-60 min | 20–45 min |
Participantsdifferent | 4-20 | 3-8 | 3-10 | Small cross-functional group |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Cynefin Map, Domain-specific Actions, Sensemaking Notes | Failure Scenarios, Risk Notes, Control Gaps, Test and Response Actions | Risk Matrix, Top Risk List | Risk list, Mitigation plan, Assumption log |
Tagsno overlap | ComplexitySensemakingDecision | FailureResilienceRisk | RiskDecisionPrioritizationAssessment | RiskDecisionFailurePlanning |



