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Selected:Architecture Decision RecordARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)Causal Factor AnalysisCausal Loop Diagram
| Criterion |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Architecture ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs) |  Operations Causal Factor Analysis |  Systems Thinking Causal Loop Diagram |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | An ADR permanently records an architecture decision with context, trade-offs, and consequence. It creates continuity for later changes because the decision path stays traceable. | ARID examines how well developers can work with a technical design. It focuses on a part of the system that can still be revised, between the architecture overview and the detailed specification. | For an event with a complicated course, the method breaks down the contributing factors along the timeline. It shows how conditions, decisions, and reactions together produce a course of events. | A Causal Loop Diagram makes feedback, reinforcement, and balance in a system legible. It uncovers side effects and self-reinforcement that stay hidden in linear explanations. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional | 2-6 h | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 1-3 | Designers, developers as users, and facilitation | 3-10 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisions | Event Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions | Causal Loop Diagram, Feedback Notes, Leverage Points |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline | FeedbackSystems thinkingCausalityDynamics |