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| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Futures Wheel |  Operations Visual Management |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |  Systems Thinking Iceberg 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. | 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. | When a problem has several possible contributing factors, the method sorts causes by cause areas. It prevents an initial hunch from blocking the view of other plausible drivers. | The Iceberg Model separates visible events from patterns, structures, and mental models. This turns a single observation into a deeper understanding of why a problem keeps recurring. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 60-120 min | Ongoing | 30-60 min | 30-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 1-20 | 2-8 | 2-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Futures Wheel, Consequence Chains, Strategic Signals | Visual Board, Status Indicators, Exception Cues | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog | Iceberg Worksheet, Pattern Notes, Intervention Ideas |
Tagsno overlap | ForesightSystems thinkingSignals | SignalsOperationsVisual management | Root causeQualityOperations | Systems thinkingRoot causePatterns |