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| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Systems Mapping |  Product Discovery Assumption Mapping |  Systems Thinking Future Reality Tree |  Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | Systems Mapping arranges elements, relationships, and boundaries so a complex field becomes legible at a glance. The overview stabilizes the overall picture before detail work or steering begins. | When assumptions still sit unordered in the room, it weighs uncertainty against leverage. It makes visible which hypotheses should be checked first. | A Future Reality Tree shows how desired actions are meant to lead to a better system state. The method checks whether a path of change holds together logically before time flows into implementation. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | High | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | 45-60 min | 2-4 h | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-12 | 2-8 | 3-8 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | System Map, Dependencies, Leverage Points | Assumption map, Test backlog, Risk ranking | Future Reality Tree, Negative Branches, Assumption List, Improved Injections | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan |
Tagsno overlap | Systems thinkingMappingBoundariesChange | AssumptionsRiskExperimentsValidation | Theory of ConstraintsSystems thinkingChange | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery |