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| Criterion | ![]() Knowledge Modeling IBIS | ![]() Systems Thinking Iceberg Model | ![]() Decision Making Argument Mapping | ![]() Systems Thinking Current Reality Tree |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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. | When statements, evidence, and counterarguments get mixed up, a debate quickly loses its structure. Argument Mapping breaks a thesis down into its reasoning and makes visible what it really rests on. | A Current Reality Tree condenses many symptoms into a few causal chains. The method makes visible which core problems drive several negative effects at once. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Medium | High |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | 30-60 min | 1-3 h | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 2-10 | 1-8 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Issue Map, Positions, Argument Notes | Iceberg Worksheet, Pattern Notes, Intervention Ideas | Argument Map, Evidence Gaps, Decision Rationale | Current Reality Tree, Core Problems, Intervention Ideas |
Tagsno overlap | RationaleKnowledgeDecision | Systems thinkingRoot causePatterns | SensemakingDecisionRationale | Systems thinkingRoot causeConstraintsCausality |



