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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)
Paper illustration for Risk Storming.
Architecture
Risk Storming
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.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
MediumMediumLow
Timedifferent
45-90 min2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional60-90 min
Participantsdifferent
3-8Designers, developers as users, and facilitation4-12
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop
Outputdifferent
CATWOE Canvas, Root Definition, Stakeholder Perspectives, ConstraintsPrioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisionsAnnotated Diagram, Prioritized Risk List, Action Backlog
Tagsno overlap
Systems thinkingFramingStakeholders
ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks
RiskArchitectureWorkshopValidation
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Often compared together

Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Paper illustration: scenarios and architectural decisions are connected to identified risks.
Architecture
ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)
Architecture Communication Canvas method illustration showing its working structure
Architecture
Architecture Communication Canvas
Paper illustration of a calm four-quadrant Assumption Map with hypothesis cards and emphasis on important assumptions with little evidence.
Product Discovery
Assumption Mapping
Causal Loop Diagram workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Systems Thinking
Causal Loop Diagram