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| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Theory of Change |  Engineering Goal Question Metric |  Facilitation Alignment Mapping |  Product Strategy Counter Metrics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | Theory of Change translates a desired impact into a traceable chain of change. It makes assumptions, intermediate goals, and measurement points visible before a program is rolled out at scale. | Helps clarify technical problems, hypotheses, and next steps in concrete terms. It breaks a technical problem into testable parts. The result is captured as a GQM table and metric briefs. | When several people work toward one goal but hold different mental maps, Alignment Mapping makes the discrepancies visible. It arranges goals, assumptions, and priorities so shared direction becomes verifiable. | When a headline metric could mask side effects, it adds guardrail signals against unwanted outcomes. It connects customer value, product logic, and decision priorities. The result is captured as a counter-metric list and guardrail definitions. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 2-6 h | 90-180 min | 1-2 h | 30-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 4-12 | 3-6 | 4-12 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Theory of Change Map, Assumptions, Outcome Measures | GQM Table, Metric Profiles | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions | Counter Metric List, Guardrail Definitions |
Tagsno overlap | ImpactOutcomesSystems thinkingStrategy | MetricsMeasurementEngineeringAlignment | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation | MetricsMeasurementStrategyExperiments |