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| Criterion |  Innovation How Might We |  Systems Thinking Futures Wheel |  Operations Causal Factor Analysis |  Systems Thinking CATWOE Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | With a stuck problem carrying many implicit assumptions, the method translates observations into open, workable questions. It sharpens the problem frame without pre-thinking the solution, turning frustration or fuzziness into a search space with clear direction. | 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. | For an event with a complicated course, the method breaks down the contributing factors along the timeline. It shows how conditions, decisions, and reactions together produce a course of events. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 30–45 min | 60-120 min | 2-6 h | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-10 | 3-10 | 3-10 | 3-8 |
Formatsame | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | HMW Questions, Challenge Framing, Idea Prompts | Futures Wheel, Consequence Chains, Strategic Signals | Event Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions | CATWOE Canvas, Root Definition, Stakeholder Perspectives, Constraints |
Tagsno overlap | FramingOpportunityIdeationQuestions | ForesightSystems thinkingSignals | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline | Systems thinkingFramingStakeholders |