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| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Future Reality Tree |  Decision Making Trade-off Analysis |  Decision Making Constraint Analysis |  Decision Making Decision Matrix |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | With limited resources, quality, speed, cost, and risk almost always compete with each other. Trade-off Analysis makes these tensions explicit and prevents decisions from producing hidden side effects. | 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. | When several options collide with several criteria, comparison quickly becomes subjective. A Decision Matrix makes the trade-off visible and brings weighting, criteria, and options into a shared logic. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 2-4 h | 45-120 min | 30-90 min | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 2-8 | 2-8 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Future Reality Tree, Negative Branches, Assumption List, Improved Injections | Trade-off Matrix, Criteria List, Decision Rationale, Accepted Downsides | Constraint List, Hard/Soft Classification, Option Impact Notes, Decision Boundaries | Decision Matrix, Scoring Rationale, Selected Option |
Tagsno overlap | Theory of ConstraintsSystems thinkingChange | TradeoffsDecisionCriteriaOptions | ConstraintsDecisionPlanningOptions | DecisionCriteriaScoringTradeoffs |