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| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Systems Mapping |  Knowledge Modeling IBIS |  Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |  Knowledge Modeling Concept Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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. | 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. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | 1-3 h | 45-90 min | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-12 | 2-8 | 2-8 | 1-8 |
Formatsame | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | System Map, Dependencies, Leverage Points | Issue Map, Positions, Argument Notes | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan | Concept Map, Relationship Labels, Knowledge Gaps |
Tagsno overlap | Systems thinkingMappingBoundariesChange | RationaleKnowledgeDecision | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery | KnowledgeConceptsMappingSensemaking |