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Criterion
Visual Management workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Operations
Visual Management
Paper illustration of Futures Wheel with its method-specific working model.
Systems Thinking
Futures Wheel
Paper illustration: scenarios and architectural decisions are connected to identified risks.
Architecture
ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)
Paper illustration for CATWOE Analysis.
Systems Thinking
CATWOE Analysis
Purposedifferent
With high tempo and many parallel topics, the method makes status, deviations, and priorities visible at a glance. It reduces search effort and prevents what matters from getting lost in daily work.The Futures Wheel helps explore the consequences of a decision, a trend, or a strategic move in a structured way. It makes visible which first, second, and third-order effects could arise from an event.ATAM helps teams weigh architecture decisions when quality goals compete. The team considers business goals, stakeholder expectations, and technical decisions together. The evaluation shows which risks need further investigation.CATWOE structures a problem from six viewpoints and prevents too narrow a view of the situation. Different experiences of the system become comparably discussable this way.
Complexitydifferent
LowMediumHighMedium
Timedifferent
Ongoing60-120 minSeveral meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope45-90 min
Participantsdifferent
1-203-10Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders3-8
Formatsame
Workshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Visual Board, Status Indicators, Exception CuesFutures Wheel, Consequence Chains, Strategic SignalsPrioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigationsCATWOE Canvas, Root Definition, Stakeholder Perspectives, Constraints
Tagsno overlap
SignalsOperationsVisual management
ForesightSystems thinkingSignals
ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders
Systems thinkingFramingStakeholders
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