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| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Future Reality Tree |  Systems Thinking Current Reality Tree |  Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |  Operations Causal Factor Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | 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. | 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. | For an event with a complicated course, the method breaks down the contributing factors along the timeline. It shows how conditions, decisions, and reactions together produce a course of events. |
Complexitydifferent | High | High | Low | High |
Timedifferent | 2-4 h | 2-6 h | 45-90 min | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 3-8 | 2-8 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Future Reality Tree, Negative Branches, Assumption List, Improved Injections | Current Reality Tree, Core Problems, Intervention Ideas | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan | Event Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions |
Tagsno overlap | Theory of ConstraintsSystems thinkingChange | Systems thinkingRoot causeConstraintsCausality | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline |