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Criterion
Paper illustration for CATWOE Analysis.
Systems Thinking
CATWOE Analysis
Four paper stations connect system purpose, quality goals, risk cards and focused investigation with a target and gap profile.
Architecture
LASR (Lightweight Approach for Software Reviews)
Architecture Inception Canvas method illustration showing its working structure
Architecture
Architecture Inception Canvas
Paper illustration for Alignment Mapping.
Facilitation
Alignment Mapping
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.LASR helps development teams identify where their software falls short of important quality goals and which improvements to consider. A small group with existing system knowledge can make an initial assessment and investigate open questions in more detail.The Architecture Inception Canvas bundles the first architecture questions into a compact decision picture. It fits when an initiative is still in motion but still needs clear guardrails.When several people work toward one goal but hold different mental maps, Alignment Mapping makes the discrepancies visible. It arranges goals, assumptions, and priorities so shared direction becomes verifiable.
Complexitydifferent
MediumMediumLowMedium
Timedifferent
45-90 min3–4 h for initial assessment; preparation and deeper analysis additional1-2 h1-2 h
Participantsdifferent
3-81 or a small team; particularly suitable for 3–4 people3-84-12
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshop
Outputdifferent
CATWOE Canvas, Root Definition, Stakeholder Perspectives, ConstraintsLean Mission Statement describing the software’s purpose, Prioritized quality goals and evaluation criteria, Risks and estimated gaps against quality goals, More closely examined findings and open checksInception Canvas, Risks, Goal List, Open QuestionsAlignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions
Tagsno overlap
Systems thinkingFramingStakeholders
ArchitectureQualityRiskAssessmentLean
AlignmentArchitectureCanvas
AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation
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