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| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Evaporating Cloud |  Systems Thinking Futures Wheel |  Systems Thinking Current Reality Tree |  Systems Thinking Future Reality Tree |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | The method makes visible why two seemingly incompatible demands arise and which assumption must be tested to resolve the conflict. | The Futures Wheel helps explore the consequences of a decision, a trend, or a strategic move in a structured way. It makes visible which first, second, and third-order effects could arise from an event. | 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. | A Future Reality Tree shows how desired actions are meant to lead to a better system state. The method checks whether a path of change holds together logically before time flows into implementation. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | High | High |
Timedifferent | 60-120 min | 60-120 min | 2-6 h | 2-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 3-10 | 3-8 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Conflict Cloud, Assumption List, Breakthrough Ideas, Next Experiments | Futures Wheel, Consequence Chains, Strategic Signals | Current Reality Tree, Core Problems, Intervention Ideas | Future Reality Tree, Negative Branches, Assumption List, Improved Injections |
Tags1 shared | Theory of ConstraintsAssumptionsSystems thinking | ForesightSystems thinkingSignals | Systems thinkingRoot causeConstraintsCausality | Theory of ConstraintsSystems thinkingChange |