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| Criterion |  Facilitation Mind Mapping |  Decision Making Decision Matrix |  Decision Making DACI |  Decision Making Trade-off Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a topic is still unclear and too many thoughts surface at once, Mind Mapping creates an open surface for ordering them. It makes connections, subtopics, and starting points visible without fixing them too early. | 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. | In cross-functional decisions, responsibilities quickly blur between approval, influence, and execution. DACI arranges these roles so decision pressure, contribution, and information stay cleanly separated. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 45-90 min | 30-60 min | 45-120 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-10 | 2-8 | 2-10 | 2-8 |
Formatsame | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Mind Map, Topic Clusters, Open Questions | Decision Matrix, Scoring Rationale, Selected Option | DACI Matrix, Decision Owner, Decision Log | Trade-off Matrix, Criteria List, Decision Rationale, Accepted Downsides |
Tagsno overlap | BrainstormingIdeasMappingStructureFacilitation | DecisionCriteriaScoringTradeoffs | DecisionRolesGovernanceAlignment | TradeoffsDecisionCriteriaOptions |