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Criterion
Design sheets and interface cards connect to jointly written pseudocode with highlighted unresolved questions.
Architecture
ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)
A 5 Whys working surface connects an observable problem with evidenced causes, marked uncertainty and concrete countermeasures with ownership.
Operations
5 Whys
Paper illustration for Risk Storming.
Architecture
Risk Storming
Paper illustration for Root Cause Analysis.
Operations
Root Cause Analysis
Purposedifferent
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 a single, hard-to-explain deviation, the method exposes the causal chain behind the visible symptom. It keeps the cause open until a controllable condition emerges instead of a mere description.Helps clarify architecture context, options, and consequences in concrete terms. It organizes technical context, alternatives, and consequences. The result is captured as an Annotated Diagram, a Prioritized Risk List, and an Action Backlog.When a problem keeps recurring and the cause stays unclear, the method exposes the underlying mechanism. It separates symptom, guess, and robust explanation from one another.
Complexitydifferent
MediumLowLowMedium
Timedifferent
2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional15-30 min60-90 min1-4 h
Participantsdifferent
Designers, developers as users, and facilitation2-64-123-8
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshopWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisionsRoot cause notes, CountermeasuresAnnotated Diagram, Prioritized Risk List, Action BacklogProblem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan
Tagsno overlap
ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks
Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving
RiskArchitectureWorkshopValidation
Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident
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