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| Criterion |  Architecture C4 Model |  Engineering Hypothesis-Driven Troubleshooting |  Architecture ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs) |
|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | When systems fail unexpectedly, spontaneous attempts often produce more noise than insight. Hypothesis-driven Troubleshooting translates symptoms into testable assumptions and makes troubleshooting learnable. | 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 | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-4 h | 30-240 min | 2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional |
Participantsdifferent | 1-5 | 1-6 | Designers, developers as users, and facilitation |
Formatsame | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram | Hypothesis Log, Test Plan, Evidence Notes, Diagnosis Summary | Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisions |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization | TroubleshootingProblem solvingDiagnosis | ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks |
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