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Criterion
Paper illustration of Futures Wheel with its method-specific working model.
Systems Thinking
Futures Wheel
Paper illustration of many question cards around one challenge
Facilitation
Question Burst
Paper illustration for CATWOE Analysis.
Systems Thinking
CATWOE Analysis
Rich Picture workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
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.When a problem gets covered up too quickly with answers, Question Burst puts the better question at the center. The format opens the thinking space before the group commits to an interpretation.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.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
MediumLowMediumLow
Timedifferent
60-120 min15-30 min45-90 min30-90 min
Participantsdifferent
3-102-83-82-10
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshop
Outputdifferent
Futures Wheel, Consequence Chains, Strategic SignalsQuestion List, Reframed Challenge, Learning PromptsCATWOE Canvas, Root Definition, Stakeholder Perspectives, ConstraintsRich Picture, Problem Framing Notes
Tagsno overlap
ForesightSystems thinkingSignals
QuestionsReframingFacilitationSensemaking
Systems thinkingFramingStakeholders
Systems thinkingSoft systemsFramingVisualization
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