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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 for Behavior Over Time Graph.
Systems Thinking
Behavior Over Time Graph
A paper-based illustration representing arc42 with its core stages and visible working result.
Architecture
arc42
Stock and Flow Diagram method illustration showing its working structure
Systems Thinking
Stock and Flow Diagram
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.A Behavior Over Time Graph shows how a metric or observation develops over time. The method makes trends, breaks, and recurring patterns visible that get lost in snapshots.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.A Stock and Flow Diagram shows how stocks, inflows, and outflows shape a system over time. It is especially suited when growth, delays, or capacity limits determine the dynamics.
Complexitydifferent
MediumLowLowHigh
Timedifferent
2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional20-45 min1-2 Tage2-6 h
Participantsdifferent
Designers, developers as users, and facilitation1-101-41-6
Formatsame
Workshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisionsBehavior Over Time Graph, Trend Hypotheses, Key EventsArchitecture Document, Context View, Runtime View, Deployment ViewStock and Flow Model, Dynamics Notes, Simulation Hypotheses
Tagsno overlap
ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks
Systems thinkingPatternsDynamics
ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication
DynamicsSimulationFeedbackSystems thinking
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