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Selected:ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)Soft Systems MethodologyArgument MappingCausal Loop Diagram
| Criterion | ![]() Architecture ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs) | ![]() Systems Thinking Soft Systems Methodology | ![]() Decision Making Argument Mapping | ![]() 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. | Soft Systems Methodology helps explore unclear or politically charged problems systematically. Instead of forcing a quick answer, the method builds a shared understanding of perspectives and room for action. | When statements, evidence, and counterarguments get mixed up, a debate quickly loses its structure. Argument Mapping breaks a thesis down into its reasoning and makes visible what it really rests on. | 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 | High | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional | 0.5-3 Tage | 1-3 h | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | Designers, developers as users, and facilitation | 5-15 | 1-8 | 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, Root Definitions, Conceptual Models, Change Agenda | Argument Map, Evidence Gaps, Decision Rationale | Causal Loop Diagram, Feedback Notes, Leverage Points |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks | Soft systemsComplexitySensemakingSystems thinking | SensemakingDecisionRationale | FeedbackSystems thinkingCausalityDynamics |



