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| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Soft Systems Methodology |  Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |  Decision Making Cynefin Workshop |  Product Discovery Assumption Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | Plans often contain assumptions that were never openly stated and remain dangerous precisely because of that. Assumption Surfacing makes these silent premises visible and prioritizes which of them carry the initiative or could sink it. | 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. | When assumptions still sit unordered in the room, it weighs uncertainty against leverage. It makes visible which hypotheses should be checked first. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 0.5-3 Tage | 45-90 min | 60-180 min | 45-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 5-15 | 2-8 | 4-20 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Rich Picture, Root Definitions, Conceptual Models, Change Agenda | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan | Cynefin Map, Domain-specific Actions, Sensemaking Notes | Assumption map, Test backlog, Risk ranking |
Tagsno overlap | Soft systemsComplexitySensemakingSystems thinking | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery | ComplexitySensemakingDecision | AssumptionsRiskExperimentsValidation |