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| Criterion |  Architecture ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs) |  Systems Thinking Rich Picture |  Architecture C4 Model |  Systems Thinking Causal Loop 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 Rich Picture brings an unclear situation onto a shared drawing. It captures actors, tensions, information flows, and blind spots before the team jumps to solutions too early. | The C4 Model makes a system legible across several resolution levels, from context down to code. It suits situations where different audiences need to understand the same architecture from different altitudes. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional | 30-90 min | 1-4 h | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | Designers, developers as users, and facilitation | 2-10 | 1-5 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisions | Rich Picture, Problem Framing Notes | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram | Causal Loop Diagram, Feedback Notes, Leverage Points |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks | Systems thinkingSoft systemsFramingVisualization | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization | FeedbackSystems thinkingCausalityDynamics |