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| Criterion | ![]() Facilitation Six Thinking Hats | ![]() Knowledge Modeling IBIS | ![]() Knowledge Modeling Concept Mapping | ![]() Decision Making Constraint Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a topic gets stuck too quickly in the same thinking mode, Six Thinking Hats deliberately separates the perspectives. This means facts, risks, creativity, and emotional signals get worked through one after another instead of mixed together. | IBIS structures thinking about complex questions as a sequence of issues, ideas, and arguments. The method keeps discussions open without forcing them into premature consensus. | Concept Mapping arranges terms and relationships in a network that makes subject-matter connections tangible. It fits when a topic needs to be understood structurally rather than linearly. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | 1-3 h | 1-2 h | 30-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 4-12 | 2-8 | 1-8 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Perspective Notes, Decision Inputs, Action Items | Issue Map, Positions, Argument Notes | Concept Map, Relationship Labels, Knowledge Gaps | Constraint List, Hard/Soft Classification, Option Impact Notes, Decision Boundaries |
Tagsno overlap | FacilitationOptionsDecision | RationaleKnowledgeDecision | KnowledgeConceptsMappingSensemaking | ConstraintsDecisionPlanningOptions |



