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| Criterion |  Knowledge Modeling IBIS |  Facilitation Alignment Mapping |  Decision Making Trade-off Analysis |  Decision Making Decision Matrix |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | IBIS structures thinking about complex questions as a sequence of issues, ideas, and arguments. The method keeps discussions open without forcing them into premature consensus. | 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. | With limited resources, quality, speed, cost, and risk almost always compete with each other. Trade-off Analysis makes these tensions explicit and prevents decisions from producing hidden side effects. | When several options collide with several criteria, comparison quickly becomes subjective. A Decision Matrix makes the trade-off visible and brings weighting, criteria, and options into a shared logic. |
Complexitysame | Medium | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | 1-2 h | 45-120 min | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 4-12 | 2-8 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Issue Map, Positions, Argument Notes | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions | Trade-off Matrix, Criteria List, Decision Rationale, Accepted Downsides | Decision Matrix, Scoring Rationale, Selected Option |
Tagsno overlap | RationaleKnowledgeDecision | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation | TradeoffsDecisionCriteriaOptions | DecisionCriteriaScoringTradeoffs |