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| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Future Reality Tree |  Decision Making Trade-off Analysis |  Decision Making Decision Tree |  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. | 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. | 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 | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 2-4 h | 45-120 min | 30-90 min | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 2-8 | 1-6 | 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 | Decision Tree, Option Map, Assumption List | Decision Matrix, Scoring Rationale, Selected Option |
Tagsno overlap | Theory of ConstraintsSystems thinkingChange | TradeoffsDecisionCriteriaOptions | DecisionTreeOptions | DecisionCriteriaScoringTradeoffs |