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| Criterion | ![]() Systems Thinking Rich Picture | ![]() Systems Thinking Soft Systems Methodology | ![]() Operations Causal Factor 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. | Soft Systems Methodology helps explore unclear or politically charged problems systematically. Instead of forcing a quick answer, the method builds a shared understanding of perspectives and room for action. | For an event with a complicated course, the method breaks down the contributing factors along the timeline. It shows how conditions, decisions, and reactions together produce a course of events. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | High | High |
Timedifferent | 30-90 min | 0.5-3 Tage | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-10 | 5-15 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Rich Picture, Problem Framing Notes | Rich Picture, Root Definitions, Conceptual Models, Change Agenda | Event Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions |
Tagsno overlap | Systems thinkingSoft systemsFramingVisualization | Soft systemsComplexitySensemakingSystems thinking | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline |
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