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| Criterion |  Decision Making Pre-Mortem |  Decision Making Constraint Analysis |  Systems Thinking Stock and Flow Diagram |  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 Stock and Flow Diagram shows how stocks, inflows, and outflows shape a system over time. It is especially suited when growth, delays, or capacity limits determine the dynamics. | 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 | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 20–45 min | 30-90 min | 2-6 h | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | Small cross-functional group | 2-8 | 1-6 | 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 | Stock and Flow Model, Dynamics Notes, Simulation Hypotheses | Causal Loop Diagram, Feedback Notes, Leverage Points |
Tagsno overlap | RiskDecisionFailurePlanning | ConstraintsDecisionPlanningOptions | DynamicsSimulationFeedbackSystems thinking | FeedbackSystems thinkingCausalityDynamics |