methodatlas
Compare

View methods side by side.

Choose up to four methods. Add them using the search and share the comparison by copying its link.

Criterion
Rich Picture workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Systems Thinking
Rich Picture
Paper illustration for Cynefin Workshop.
Decision Making
Cynefin Workshop
Paper illustration for Trade-off Analysis.
Decision Making
Trade-off Analysis
Purposedifferent
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 problems are unclear, chaotic, or only seemingly familiar, standard recipes fall short. A Cynefin Workshop sorts situations by the nature of their problem and connects them with matching action logic.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.
Complexitydifferent
LowMediumMedium
Timedifferent
30-90 min60-180 min45-120 min
Participantsdifferent
2-104-202-8
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshopWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Rich Picture, Problem Framing NotesCynefin Map, Domain-specific Actions, Sensemaking NotesTrade-off Matrix, Criteria List, Decision Rationale, Accepted Downsides
Tagsno overlap
Systems thinkingSoft systemsFramingVisualization
ComplexitySensemakingDecision
TradeoffsDecisionCriteriaOptions
Add more methods

Often compared together

Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Paper illustration for Soft Systems Methodology.
Systems Thinking
Soft Systems Methodology
Paper illustration of a decision table with criteria rows, weighted ratings, and a narrowly leading alternative.
Decision Making
Decision Matrix
Paper illustration for Argument Mapping
Decision Making
Argument Mapping
Paper illustration for CATWOE Analysis.
Systems Thinking
CATWOE Analysis