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| Criterion | ![]() Business Strategy GAP Analysis | ![]() Facilitation Alignment Mapping | ![]() Innovation Brainstorming | ![]() Innovation Lotus Blossom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | GAP Analysis compares the current state with a target picture and makes the distance manageable. It becomes useful when, ahead of new initiatives, it must become clear which capabilities, processes, or resources are missing. | When several people work toward one goal but hold different mental maps, Alignment Mapping makes the discrepancies visible. It arranges goals, assumptions, and priorities so shared direction becomes verifiable. | When a team faces an open question with many obvious directions, the method first creates breadth instead of premature commitment. It separates idea flow from evaluation and makes lines of thought visible, creating a pool for selection and further development. | When a central question feels too large, the method breaks it into neighboring topic fields with their own depth of ideation. It holds structure and openness at the same time, so adjacent perspectives don't get lost. This grows an idea space out of a core problem. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | 1-2 h | 30-60 min | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 4-12 | 4-12 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Gap Matrix, Action Plan, Risk Notes | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions | Idea pool, Theme clusters, Shortlist | Lotus Diagram, Idea Themes, Shortlist |
Tagsno overlap | StrategyAnalysisPlanning | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation | BrainstormingIdeationCreativityWorkshopDivergence | BrainstormingIdeationCreativityDivergenceWorkshop |



