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| Criterion |  Engineering Fault Isolation |  Knowledge Modeling IBIS |  Facilitation 3-Circle Venn Diagram |  Facilitation Alignment Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | In technical failures, the visible symptom often gets mixed up with the actual cause. Fault Isolation narrows the fault space and progressively reduces which part of the system is truly affected. | IBIS structures thinking about complex questions as a sequence of issues, ideas, and arguments. The method keeps discussions open without forcing them into premature consensus. | When three perspectives matter at the same time, a Three-Circle Venn Diagram shows the overlaps and remainders precisely. It makes visible where shared effect arises and where only a partial perspective applies. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 30-180 min | 1-3 h | 15-45 min | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 1-6 | 2-8 | 2-8 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Fault Isolation Map, Test Log, Excluded Hypotheses, Narrowed Fault Area | Issue Map, Positions, Argument Notes | Venn Diagram, Overlap Notes, Differentiators | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions |
Tagsno overlap | TroubleshootingDiagnosisEngineering | RationaleKnowledgeDecision | ComparisonFacilitationAlignment | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation |