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Criterion
Paper illustration of a Polarity Map with two poles and four quadrants
Systems Thinking
Polarity Mapping
Decision Tree method illustration showing its working structure
Decision Making
Decision Tree
A hypothetical failure makes concrete risks, signals, and fitting mitigations visible.
Decision Making
Pre-Mortem
Paper illustration for Trade-off Analysis.
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.In early initiatives with many uncertainties, planning quickly turns too optimistic. A pre-mortem makes the expected failure visible in advance and sharpens the view of causes, gaps, and countermeasures.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
MediumMediumLowMedium
Timedifferent
1-2 h30-90 min20–45 min45-120 min
Participantsdifferent
3-121-6Small cross-functional group2-8
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Polarity Map, Warning Signs, Balance ActionsDecision Tree, Option Map, Assumption ListRisk list, Mitigation plan, Assumption logTrade-off Matrix, Criteria List, Decision Rationale, Accepted Downsides
Tagsno overlap
Systems thinkingTradeoffsLeadership
DecisionTreeOptions
RiskDecisionFailurePlanning
TradeoffsDecisionCriteriaOptions
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