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Criterion
Paper illustration for Dot Estimation.
Facilitation
Dot Estimation
Paper illustration of an assumption matrix with prioritized test cards
Decision Making
Assumption Surfacing
A hypothetical failure makes concrete risks, signals, and fitting mitigations visible.
Decision Making
Pre-Mortem
Paper illustration for Constraint Analysis.
Decision Making
Constraint Analysis
Purposedifferent
When size or effort can only be estimated roughly, Dot Estimation condenses the group's experience into a quick range. It turns individual contributions into a visible selection. The result is captured as an Effort Heatmap, Risk Signals, and Discussion Targets.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.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.When an initiative stalls, the limit often lies not in the idea but in hard or soft boundary conditions. Constraint Analysis separates these limits and shows which of them can actually be shaped.
Complexitysame
LowLowLowLow
Timedifferent
5-20 min45-90 min20–45 min30-90 min
Participantsdifferent
3-202-8Small cross-functional group2-8
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Effort Heatmap, Risk Signals, Discussion TargetsAssumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning PlanRisk list, Mitigation plan, Assumption logConstraint List, Hard/Soft Classification, Option Impact Notes, Decision Boundaries
Tagsno overlap
EstimationEffortRisk
AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery
RiskDecisionFailurePlanning
ConstraintsDecisionPlanningOptions
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