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Selected:Causal Loop Diagram Architecture Decision Record Argument Mapping ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)

Criterion	Systems Thinking Causal Loop Diagram	Architecture Architecture Decision Record	Decision Making Argument Mapping	Architecture ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)
Purposedifferent	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.	When statements, evidence, and counterarguments get mixed up, a debate quickly loses its structure. Argument Mapping breaks a thesis down into its reasoning and makes visible what it really rests on.	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	Medium	Low	Medium	Medium
Timedifferent	1-3 h	15-45 min	1-3 h	2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional
Participantsdifferent	2-8	1-3	1-8	Designers, developers as users, and facilitation
Formatdifferent	Workshop	Async	Workshop + async	Workshop + async
Outputdifferent	Causal Loop Diagram, Feedback Notes, Leverage Points	ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale	Argument Map, Evidence Gaps, Decision Rationale	Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisions
Tagsno overlap	FeedbackSystems thinkingCausalityDynamics	ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance	SensemakingDecisionRationale	ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks

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