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| Criterion |  Decision Making Decision Tree |  Decision Making Pre-Mortem |  Systems Thinking CATWOE Analysis |  Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | For decisions with follow-on paths and dependencies, a linear comparison is often not enough. A Decision Tree shows how options branch under conditions and which consequences hang on each branch. | 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. | CATWOE structures a problem from six viewpoints and prevents too narrow a view of the situation. Different experiences of the system become comparably discussable this way. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 30-90 min | 20–45 min | 45-90 min | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-6 | Small cross-functional group | 3-8 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Decision Tree, Option Map, Assumption List | Risk list, Mitigation plan, Assumption log | CATWOE Canvas, Root Definition, Stakeholder Perspectives, Constraints | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan |
Tagsno overlap | DecisionTreeOptions | RiskDecisionFailurePlanning | Systems thinkingFramingStakeholders | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery |