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| Criterion |  Architecture ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs) |  Business Strategy GAP Analysis |  Decision Making Decision Tree |  Business Strategy TOWS Matrix |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | GAP Analysis compares the current state with a target picture and makes the distance manageable. It becomes useful when, ahead of new initiatives, it must become clear which capabilities, processes, or resources are missing. | For decisions with follow-on paths and dependencies, a linear comparison is often not enough. A Decision Tree shows how options branch under conditions and which consequences hang on each branch. | The TOWS Matrix connects internal strengths and weaknesses with external opportunities and threats into action-oriented strategies. It goes a step further than a pure stocktaking. |
Complexitysame | Medium | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional | 1-3 h | 30-90 min | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | Designers, developers as users, and facilitation | 2-8 | 1-6 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisions | Gap Matrix, Action Plan, Risk Notes | Decision Tree, Option Map, Assumption List | TOWS Matrix, Strategic Options, Priority Actions |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks | StrategyAnalysisPlanning | DecisionTreeOptions | StrategyAnalysisOptions |