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| Criterion | ![]() Facilitation Mind Mapping | ![]() Systems Thinking Evaporating Cloud | ![]() Facilitation Alignment Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|
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. | The method makes visible why two seemingly incompatible demands arise and which assumption must be tested to resolve the conflict. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 60-120 min | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 1-10 | 2-8 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Mind Map, Topic Clusters, Open Questions | Conflict Cloud, Assumption List, Breakthrough Ideas, Next Experiments | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions |
Tagsno overlap | BrainstormingIdeasMappingStructureFacilitation | Theory of ConstraintsAssumptionsSystems thinking | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation |
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