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| Criterion | ![]() Systems Thinking Futures Wheel | ![]() Delivery Communication Plan | ![]() Systems Thinking Rich Picture | ![]() Architecture C4 Model |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | When many people need to be informed in parallel and messages would otherwise arrive unevenly or too late, a Communication Plan orders communication reliably. Channels, audiences, and cadences interlock so important information doesn't get lost. | 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. | The C4 Model makes a system legible across several resolution levels, from context down to code. It suits situations where different audiences need to understand the same architecture from different altitudes. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 60-120 min | 45-90 min | 30-90 min | 1-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 2-6 | 2-10 | 1-5 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Futures Wheel, Consequence Chains, Strategic Signals | Communication Plan, Channel Matrix, Message Cadence | Rich Picture, Problem Framing Notes | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram |
Tagsno overlap | ForesightSystems thinkingSignals | CommunicationStakeholdersDeliveryPlanning | Systems thinkingSoft systemsFramingVisualization | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization |



