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Criterion
Paper illustration for TOWS Matrix.
Business Strategy
TOWS Matrix
A hypothetical failure makes concrete risks, signals, and fitting mitigations visible.
Decision Making
Pre-Mortem
Decision Tree method illustration showing its working structure
Decision Making
Decision Tree
Paper illustration of Business Model Stress Test with its method-specific working model.
Business Strategy
Business Model Stress Test
Purposedifferent
The TOWS Matrix connects internal strengths and weaknesses with external opportunities and threats into action-oriented strategies. It goes a step further than a pure stocktaking.In early initiatives with many uncertainties, planning quickly turns too optimistic. A pre-mortem makes the expected failure visible in advance and sharpens the view of causes, gaps, and countermeasures.For decisions with follow-on paths and dependencies, a linear comparison is often not enough. A Decision Tree shows how options branch under conditions and which consequences hang on each branch.A Business Model Stress Test checks how well a business model holds up under pressure and headwinds. It compares strengths, risks, market logic, and courses of action. The result is captured as a stress-test report and action plan per scenario.
Complexitydifferent
MediumLowMediumHigh
Timedifferent
1-2 h20–45 min30-90 minHalf day
Participantsdifferent
3-10Small cross-functional group1-63-8
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshop
Outputdifferent
TOWS Matrix, Strategic Options, Priority ActionsRisk list, Mitigation plan, Assumption logDecision Tree, Option Map, Assumption ListStress Test Report, Action Plan per Scenario
Tagsno overlap
StrategyAnalysisOptions
RiskDecisionFailurePlanning
DecisionTreeOptions
StrategyBusiness modelRiskDiagnosis
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