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Criterion
Paper illustration for Future Reality Tree.
Systems Thinking
Future Reality Tree
A hypothetical failure makes concrete risks, signals, and fitting mitigations visible.
Decision Making
Pre-Mortem
Decision Tree method illustration showing its working structure
Decision Making
Decision Tree
Paper illustration of an assumption matrix with prioritized test cards
Decision Making
Assumption Surfacing
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.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.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.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
HighLowMediumLow
Timedifferent
2-4 h20–45 min30-90 min45-90 min
Participantsdifferent
3-8Small cross-functional group1-62-8
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Future Reality Tree, Negative Branches, Assumption List, Improved InjectionsRisk list, Mitigation plan, Assumption logDecision Tree, Option Map, Assumption ListAssumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan
Tagsno overlap
Theory of ConstraintsSystems thinkingChange
RiskDecisionFailurePlanning
DecisionTreeOptions
AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery
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