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| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Polarity Mapping |  Operations Process Mapping |  Operations Bottleneck Analysis |  Systems Thinking Current Reality Tree |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | With a confusing workflow that has many handoffs, the method makes the actual process visible. It shows where work is passed on, delayed, or duplicated, so improvement targets the right spots. | For a flow that backs up at one point, the method looks for the capacity limit with the greatest leverage. It explains why extra effort elsewhere barely improves throughput. | A Current Reality Tree condenses many symptoms into a few causal chains. The method makes visible which core problems drive several negative effects at once. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Medium | High |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h | 1-3 h | 1-3 h | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-12 | 3-10 | 3-8 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Polarity Map, Warning Signs, Balance Actions | Process Map, Handoff List, Improvement Backlog | Bottleneck Map, Flow Metrics, Improvement Options, Follow-up Measures | Current Reality Tree, Core Problems, Intervention Ideas |
Tagsno overlap | Systems thinkingTradeoffsLeadership | ProcessOperationsImprovement | FlowMeasurementConstraints | Systems thinkingRoot causeConstraintsCausality |