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| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Polarity Mapping |  Decision Making Decision Tree |  Systems Thinking Evaporating Cloud |  Decision Making Trade-off Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | Polarity Mapping makes tensions between two opposing poles tangible, such as standardization and adaptation or control and autonomy. The method guards against making apparent either-or decisions prematurely. | For decisions with follow-on paths and dependencies, a linear comparison is often not enough. A Decision Tree shows how options branch under conditions and which consequences hang on each branch. | The method makes visible why two seemingly incompatible demands arise and which assumption must be tested to resolve the conflict. | 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. |
Complexitysame | Medium | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h | 30-90 min | 60-120 min | 45-120 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-12 | 1-6 | 2-8 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Polarity Map, Warning Signs, Balance Actions | Decision Tree, Option Map, Assumption List | Conflict Cloud, Assumption List, Breakthrough Ideas, Next Experiments | Trade-off Matrix, Criteria List, Decision Rationale, Accepted Downsides |
Tagsno overlap | Systems thinkingTradeoffsLeadership | DecisionTreeOptions | Theory of ConstraintsAssumptionsSystems thinking | TradeoffsDecisionCriteriaOptions |