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Criterion
Paper illustration of a Polarity Map with two poles and four quadrants
Systems Thinking
Polarity Mapping
Rich Picture workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Systems Thinking
Rich Picture
Paper illustration for Constraint Analysis.
Decision Making
Constraint 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.A Rich Picture brings an unclear situation onto a shared drawing. It captures actors, tensions, information flows, and blind spots before the team jumps to solutions too early.When an initiative stalls, the limit often lies not in the idea but in hard or soft boundary conditions. Constraint Analysis separates these limits and shows which of them can actually be shaped.
Complexitydifferent
MediumLowLow
Timedifferent
1-2 h30-90 min30-90 min
Participantsdifferent
3-122-102-8
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshopWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Polarity Map, Warning Signs, Balance ActionsRich Picture, Problem Framing NotesConstraint List, Hard/Soft Classification, Option Impact Notes, Decision Boundaries
Tagsno overlap
Systems thinkingTradeoffsLeadership
Systems thinkingSoft systemsFramingVisualization
ConstraintsDecisionPlanningOptions
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Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Paper illustration for Trade-off Analysis.
Decision Making
Trade-off Analysis
Paper illustration for CATWOE Analysis.
Systems Thinking
CATWOE Analysis
Paper illustration for Current Reality Tree
Systems Thinking
Current Reality Tree
Paper illustration of a decision table with criteria rows, weighted ratings, and a narrowly leading alternative.
Decision Making
Decision Matrix