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| Criterion |  Business Strategy TOWS Matrix |  Facilitation Six Thinking Hats |  Decision Making Decision Tree |  Facilitation Alignment Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 topic gets stuck too quickly in the same thinking mode, Six Thinking Hats deliberately separates the perspectives. This means facts, risks, creativity, and emotional signals get worked through one after another instead of mixed together. | 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. | 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. |
Complexitysame | Medium | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h | 45-90 min | 30-90 min | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 4-12 | 1-6 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | TOWS Matrix, Strategic Options, Priority Actions | Perspective Notes, Decision Inputs, Action Items | Decision Tree, Option Map, Assumption List | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions |
Tagsno overlap | StrategyAnalysisOptions | FacilitationOptionsDecision | DecisionTreeOptions | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation |