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Criterion
Paper illustration of Futures Wheel with its method-specific working model.
Systems Thinking
Futures Wheel
Paper mind map with a central course onboarding question, colored main branches, keywords and cross-links.
Facilitation
Mind Mapping
Systems Mapping method illustration showing its working structure
Systems Thinking
Systems Mapping
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 a topic is still unclear and too many thoughts surface at once, Mind Mapping creates an open surface for ordering them. It makes connections, subtopics, and starting points visible without fixing them too early.Systems Mapping arranges elements, relationships, and boundaries so a complex field becomes legible at a glance. The overview stabilizes the overall picture before detail work or steering begins.
Complexitydifferent
MediumLowMedium
Timedifferent
60-120 min15-45 min1-3 h
Participantsdifferent
3-101-103-12
Formatsame
Workshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Futures Wheel, Consequence Chains, Strategic SignalsMind Map, Topic Clusters, Open QuestionsSystem Map, Dependencies, Leverage Points
Tagsno overlap
ForesightSystems thinkingSignals
BrainstormingIdeasMappingStructureFacilitation
Systems thinkingMappingBoundariesChange
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Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Paper illustration of several people silently writing ideas and passing sheets around with arrows.
Innovation
Brainwriting
Paper illustration for Future Reality Tree.
Systems Thinking
Future Reality Tree
Paper illustration for Intervention Mapping.
Systems Thinking
Intervention Mapping
Paper illustration of Leverage Points with its method-specific working model.
Systems Thinking
Leverage Points