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Selected:Behavior Over Time Graph Causal Loop Diagram Architecture Decision Record ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)

Criterion	Systems Thinking Behavior Over Time Graph	Systems Thinking Causal Loop Diagram	Architecture Architecture Decision Record	Architecture ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)
Purposedifferent	A Behavior Over Time Graph shows how a metric or observation develops over time. The method makes trends, breaks, and recurring patterns visible that get lost in snapshots.	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.	An ADR permanently records an architecture decision with context, trade-offs, and consequence. It creates continuity for later changes because the decision path stays traceable.	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.
Complexitydifferent	Low	Medium	Low	Medium
Timedifferent	20-45 min	1-3 h	15-45 min	2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional
Participantsdifferent	1-10	2-8	1-3	Designers, developers as users, and facilitation
Formatdifferent	Workshop + async	Workshop	Async	Workshop + async
Outputdifferent	Behavior Over Time Graph, Trend Hypotheses, Key Events	Causal Loop Diagram, Feedback Notes, Leverage Points	ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale	Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisions
Tagsno overlap	Systems thinkingPatternsDynamics	FeedbackSystems thinkingCausalityDynamics	ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance	ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks

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