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| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Futures Wheel |  Systems Thinking CATWOE Analysis |  Operations Visual Management |  Systems Thinking Rich Picture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | The Futures Wheel helps explore the consequences of a decision, a trend, or a strategic move in a structured way. It makes visible which first, second, and third-order effects could arise from an event. | CATWOE structures a problem from six viewpoints and prevents too narrow a view of the situation. Different experiences of the system become comparably discussable this way. | With high tempo and many parallel topics, the method makes status, deviations, and priorities visible at a glance. It reduces search effort and prevents what matters from getting lost in daily work. | A Rich Picture brings an unclear situation onto a shared drawing. It captures actors, tensions, information flows, and blind spots before the team jumps to solutions too early. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 60-120 min | 45-90 min | Ongoing | 30-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 3-8 | 1-20 | 2-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Futures Wheel, Consequence Chains, Strategic Signals | CATWOE Canvas, Root Definition, Stakeholder Perspectives, Constraints | Visual Board, Status Indicators, Exception Cues | Rich Picture, Problem Framing Notes |
Tagsno overlap | ForesightSystems thinkingSignals | Systems thinkingFramingStakeholders | SignalsOperationsVisual management | Systems thinkingSoft systemsFramingVisualization |