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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 Communication Plan
Delivery
Communication Plan
A paper-based illustration representing arc42 with its core stages and visible working result.
Architecture
arc42
Paper illustration: scenarios and architectural decisions are connected to identified risks.
Architecture
ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)
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.When many people need to be informed in parallel and messages would otherwise arrive unevenly or too late, a Communication Plan orders communication reliably. Channels, audiences, and cadences interlock so important information doesn't get lost.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.ATAM helps teams weigh architecture decisions when quality goals compete. The team considers business goals, stakeholder expectations, and technical decisions together. The evaluation shows which risks need further investigation.
Complexitydifferent
MediumLowLowHigh
Timedifferent
2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional45-90 min1-2 TageSeveral meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope
Participantsdifferent
Designers, developers as users, and facilitation2-61-4Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders
Formatsame
Workshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisionsCommunication Plan, Channel Matrix, Message CadenceArchitecture Document, Context View, Runtime View, Deployment ViewPrioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations
Tagsno overlap
ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks
CommunicationStakeholdersDeliveryPlanning
ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication
ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders
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