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| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Soft Systems Methodology |  Engineering Fault Isolation |  Engineering Hypothesis-Driven Troubleshooting |  Systems Thinking Rich Picture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | In technical failures, the visible symptom often gets mixed up with the actual cause. Fault Isolation narrows the fault space and progressively reduces which part of the system is truly affected. | When systems fail unexpectedly, spontaneous attempts often produce more noise than insight. Hypothesis-driven Troubleshooting translates symptoms into testable assumptions and makes troubleshooting learnable. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 0.5-3 Tage | 30-180 min | 30-240 min | 30-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 5-15 | 1-6 | 1-6 | 2-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Rich Picture, Root Definitions, Conceptual Models, Change Agenda | Fault Isolation Map, Test Log, Excluded Hypotheses, Narrowed Fault Area | Hypothesis Log, Test Plan, Evidence Notes, Diagnosis Summary | Rich Picture, Problem Framing Notes |
Tagsno overlap | Soft systemsComplexitySensemakingSystems thinking | TroubleshootingDiagnosisEngineering | TroubleshootingProblem solvingDiagnosis | Systems thinkingSoft systemsFramingVisualization |