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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)
Causal Loop Diagram workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Systems Thinking
Causal Loop Diagram
A paper-based illustration representing arc42 with its core stages and visible working result.
Architecture
arc42
Paper illustration for Behavior Over Time Graph.
Systems Thinking
Behavior Over Time Graph
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 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.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 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.
Complexitydifferent
MediumMediumLowLow
Timedifferent
2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional1-3 h1-2 Tage20-45 min
Participantsdifferent
Designers, developers as users, and facilitation2-81-41-10
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisionsCausal Loop Diagram, Feedback Notes, Leverage PointsArchitecture Document, Context View, Runtime View, Deployment ViewBehavior Over Time Graph, Trend Hypotheses, Key Events
Tagsno overlap
ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks
FeedbackSystems thinkingCausalityDynamics
ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication
Systems thinkingPatternsDynamics
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