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Criterion
Paper illustration for CATWOE Analysis.
Systems Thinking
CATWOE Analysis
Design sheets and interface cards connect to jointly written pseudocode with highlighted unresolved questions.
Architecture
ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)
Causal Loop Diagram workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Systems Thinking
Causal Loop Diagram
Paper illustration for Behavior Over Time Graph.
Systems Thinking
Behavior Over Time Graph
Purposedifferent
CATWOE structures a problem from six viewpoints and prevents too narrow a view of the situation. Different experiences of the system become comparably discussable this way.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 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.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.
Complexitydifferent
MediumMediumMediumLow
Timedifferent
45-90 min2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional1-3 h20-45 min
Participantsdifferent
3-8Designers, developers as users, and facilitation2-81-10
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
CATWOE Canvas, Root Definition, Stakeholder Perspectives, ConstraintsPrioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisionsCausal Loop Diagram, Feedback Notes, Leverage PointsBehavior Over Time Graph, Trend Hypotheses, Key Events
Tagsno overlap
Systems thinkingFramingStakeholders
ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks
FeedbackSystems thinkingCausalityDynamics
Systems thinkingPatternsDynamics
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