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| Criterion |  Knowledge Modeling PARA Method |  UX Research Contextual Inquiry |  Business Strategy McKinsey 7S |  Facilitation Alignment Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | The PARA Method organizes knowledge into Projects, Areas, Resources, and Archives. It creates order when digital notes, files, and tasks no longer cleanly fit current work. | When work processes are known only from accounts and the real context stays hidden, Contextual Inquiry makes behavior at the workplace visible. Observation and follow-up questions together show how people actually work, get interrupted, and improvise. | McKinsey 7S checks whether Strategy, Structure, Systems, Shared Values, Skills, Style, and Staff fit together. Organizational misalignments become visible across multiple levers as a result. | 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. |
Complexitysame | Medium | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h Setup, laufend | 1-3 Wochen | 2-4 h | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 1 | 4-12 Beobachtungen | 3-12 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | PARA Structure, Project Notes, Knowledge Archive | Field Notes, Workflow Insights, Pain Points | 7S Assessment, Alignment Gaps, Change Actions | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions |
Tagsno overlap | KnowledgeProductivityOrganization | UX researchObservationContext | OrganizationStrategyAlignmentChange | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation |