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| Criterion |  Decision Making Pre-Mortem |  Decision Making Constraint Analysis |  Systems Thinking Behavior Over Time Graph |  Systems Thinking Causal Loop Diagram |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | 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. | A Behavior Over Time Graph shows how a metric or observation develops over time. The method makes trends, breaks, and recurring patterns visible that get lost in snapshots. | A Causal Loop Diagram makes feedback, reinforcement, and balance in a system legible. It uncovers side effects and self-reinforcement that stay hidden in linear explanations. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 20–45 min | 30-90 min | 20-45 min | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | Small cross-functional group | 2-8 | 1-10 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Risk list, Mitigation plan, Assumption log | Constraint List, Hard/Soft Classification, Option Impact Notes, Decision Boundaries | Behavior Over Time Graph, Trend Hypotheses, Key Events | Causal Loop Diagram, Feedback Notes, Leverage Points |
Tagsno overlap | RiskDecisionFailurePlanning | ConstraintsDecisionPlanningOptions | Systems thinkingPatternsDynamics | FeedbackSystems thinkingCausalityDynamics |