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| Criterion |  Business Strategy TOWS Matrix |  Decision Making Risk Matrix |  Decision Making Pre-Mortem |  Business Strategy GAP Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | When a project faces many possible disruptions, it quickly becomes unclear which risks deserve attention first. It separates options, evaluation criteria, and open risks. The result is captured as a Risk Matrix and a Top Risk List. | 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. | GAP Analysis compares the current state with a target picture and makes the distance manageable. It becomes useful when, ahead of new initiatives, it must become clear which capabilities, processes, or resources are missing. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h | 30-60 min | 20–45 min | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 3-10 | Small cross-functional group | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | TOWS Matrix, Strategic Options, Priority Actions | Risk Matrix, Top Risk List | Risk list, Mitigation plan, Assumption log | Gap Matrix, Action Plan, Risk Notes |
Tagsno overlap | StrategyAnalysisOptions | RiskDecisionPrioritizationAssessment | RiskDecisionFailurePlanning | StrategyAnalysisPlanning |