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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)
Paper illustration of two considered options leading to a decision record with a marked status and visible consequences.
Architecture
Architecture Decision Record
Paper illustration of Decision Rights Mapping with its method-specific working model.
Decision Making
Decision Rights Mapping
A paper-based illustration representing arc42 with its core stages and visible working result.
Architecture
arc42
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.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.In organizations with many stakeholders, it often blurs who actually decides and who is merely consulted. It separates options, evaluation criteria, and open risks. The result is captured as a Decision Rights matrix and an agreement.arc42 structures architecture knowledge so teams can document system, decisions, and risks consistently. The template builds a living understanding of the architecture instead of scattered notes.
Complexitydifferent
MediumLowMediumLow
Timedifferent
2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional15-45 min90-180 min1-2 Tage
Participantsdifferent
Designers, developers as users, and facilitation1-34-121-4
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncAsyncWorkshopWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisionsADR File, Decision Log, RationaleDecision Rights Matrix, AgreementArchitecture Document, Context View, Runtime View, Deployment View
Tagsno overlap
ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks
ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance
DecisionGovernanceAlignmentResponsibility
ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication
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