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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 Root Cause Tree Analysis
Operations
Root Cause Tree Analysis
Paper illustration: scenarios and architectural decisions are connected to identified risks.
Architecture
ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)
Paper illustration for Risk Storming.
Architecture
Risk Storming
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.For a problem with several suspected causes, the method builds a causal structure instead of a mere list. It makes visible how causes connect and where the strongest points of leverage lie.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.Helps clarify architecture context, options, and consequences in concrete terms. It organizes technical context, alternatives, and consequences. The result is captured as an Annotated Diagram, a Prioritized Risk List, and an Action Backlog.
Complexitydifferent
MediumMediumHighLow
Timedifferent
2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional1-3 hSeveral meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope60-90 min
Participantsdifferent
Designers, developers as users, and facilitation2-8Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders4-12
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshop
Outputdifferent
Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisionsCause Tree, Evidence Notes, CountermeasuresPrioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigationsAnnotated Diagram, Prioritized Risk List, Action Backlog
Tagsno overlap
ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks
Root causeTreeIncidentQuality
ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders
RiskArchitectureWorkshopValidation
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