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| Criterion |  Operations Process Mapping |  Decision Making Decision Matrix |  Decision Making Decision Tree |  Decision Making Trade-off Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | When several options collide with several criteria, comparison quickly becomes subjective. A Decision Matrix makes the trade-off visible and brings weighting, criteria, and options into a shared logic. | For decisions with follow-on paths and dependencies, a linear comparison is often not enough. A Decision Tree shows how options branch under conditions and which consequences hang on each branch. | With limited resources, quality, speed, cost, and risk almost always compete with each other. Trade-off Analysis makes these tensions explicit and prevents decisions from producing hidden side effects. |
Complexitysame | Medium | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | 45-90 min | 30-90 min | 45-120 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 2-8 | 1-6 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Process Map, Handoff List, Improvement Backlog | Decision Matrix, Scoring Rationale, Selected Option | Decision Tree, Option Map, Assumption List | Trade-off Matrix, Criteria List, Decision Rationale, Accepted Downsides |
Tagsno overlap | ProcessOperationsImprovement | DecisionCriteriaScoringTradeoffs | DecisionTreeOptions | TradeoffsDecisionCriteriaOptions |