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Ansoff Matrix vs BCG Matrix: which growth framework to use
The BCG Matrix reads the portfolio you already have. The Ansoff Matrix picks the growth you'll fund next. One is a diagnosis, the other a prescription — here's which to run, and how they hand off.
Cynefin vs Stacey Matrix: which complexity framework to use
Stacey diagnoses why a problem is hard — knowledge gap or disagreement. Cynefin decides how to respond. Here's which complexity framework to use, and how to run both together.
Eisenhower Matrix vs Impact/Effort Matrix: which to use
The Eisenhower Matrix triages your day by urgent vs important. The Impact/Effort (Value vs Effort) matrix picks which projects deserve a quarter. Same 2×2 shape, different jobs.
Jobs-to-be-Done vs Customer Personas
Personas describe who the customer is. JTBD describes what the customer is trying to accomplish. The difference shapes which features you build.
Jobs-to-be-Done vs User Stories: Which to Use When
JTBD captures the outcome a customer is hiring your product for; user stories capture the increment you build. Here's how the two connect — and when to use each.
Lean Canvas vs Business Model Canvas
Lean Canvas was Ash Maurya's adaptation of Alex Osterwalder's Business Model Canvas, specifically for startups. The differences look small but determine which tool fits which stage of company.
OKR vs MBO: which goal-setting system to use
MBO sets private, must-hit objectives reviewed annually. OKRs make ambitious objectives transparent and grade them at 70%. OKRs evolved from MBO — here's what changed and when each still wins.
OKR vs SMART Goals: which goal-setting framework to use
SMART goals make one objective specific and achievable. OKRs hang several measurable Key Results off an ambitious, deliberately-unachievable Objective. The difference is stretch vs commit.
PESTEL vs Porter's Five Forces: which strategy framework to use
PESTEL maps the macro environment around an industry. Porter's Five Forces maps the competitive structure inside it. Same word — 'external' — two different rings. Here's which to run, and when to run both.
Premortem vs postmortem: opposite directions, complementary tools
A premortem imagines failure before it happens. A postmortem investigates failure after. Same psychological technique (working backwards from failure), different timing — and different teams use them for different reasons.
RICE vs ICE: which prioritization framework to use
RICE adds a Reach term that ICE leaves out. That single difference makes RICE better for teams with quantifiable user data — and ICE better for early-stage decisions where Reach is unknowable.
RICE vs MoSCoW: which prioritization framework to use
RICE ranks an open backlog by score. MoSCoW scopes a fixed-deadline release into Must / Should / Could / Won't buckets. They solve different problems, and the best teams use both.
RICE vs WSJF: which prioritization framework to use
RICE optimizes for total user impact; WSJF optimizes for economic throughput when delay has a cost. The deciding question is whether an item's value decays with time.
SWOT vs PESTLE: which one to use when
SWOT is a position assessment. PESTLE is a macro-environment scan. They're not substitutes — they answer different questions and often get used together.
SWOT vs Porter's Five Forces
SWOT analyzes a specific position. Five Forces analyzes the industry that position sits inside. Confusing them produces strategy decisions that don't survive contact with the market.