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| Criterion |  Decision Making Pre-Mortem |  Business Strategy TOWS Matrix |  Product Discovery Assumption Mapping |  Business Strategy GAP Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | The TOWS Matrix connects internal strengths and weaknesses with external opportunities and threats into action-oriented strategies. It goes a step further than a pure stocktaking. | When assumptions still sit unordered in the room, it weighs uncertainty against leverage. It makes visible which hypotheses should be checked first. | GAP Analysis compares the current state with a target picture and makes the distance manageable. It becomes useful when, ahead of new initiatives, it must become clear which capabilities, processes, or resources are missing. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 20–45 min | 1-2 h | 45-60 min | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | Small cross-functional group | 3-10 | 2-8 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Risk list, Mitigation plan, Assumption log | TOWS Matrix, Strategic Options, Priority Actions | Assumption map, Test backlog, Risk ranking | Gap Matrix, Action Plan, Risk Notes |
Tagsno overlap | RiskDecisionFailurePlanning | StrategyAnalysisOptions | AssumptionsRiskExperimentsValidation | StrategyAnalysisPlanning |