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| Criterion |  Decision Making Decision Matrix |  Facilitation Alignment Mapping |  Decision Making Trade-off Analysis |  Facilitation Six Thinking Hats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When several options collide with several criteria, comparison quickly becomes subjective. A Decision Matrix makes the trade-off visible and brings weighting, criteria, and options into a shared logic. | 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. | With limited resources, quality, speed, cost, and risk almost always compete with each other. Trade-off Analysis makes these tensions explicit and prevents decisions from producing hidden side effects. | When a topic gets stuck too quickly in the same thinking mode, Six Thinking Hats deliberately separates the perspectives. This means facts, risks, creativity, and emotional signals get worked through one after another instead of mixed together. |
Complexitysame | Medium | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | 1-2 h | 45-120 min | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 4-12 | 2-8 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Decision Matrix, Scoring Rationale, Selected Option | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions | Trade-off Matrix, Criteria List, Decision Rationale, Accepted Downsides | Perspective Notes, Decision Inputs, Action Items |
Tagsno overlap | DecisionCriteriaScoringTradeoffs | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation | TradeoffsDecisionCriteriaOptions | FacilitationOptionsDecision |