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Selected:Causal Loop DiagramSoftware Architecture CanvasArchitecture Inception CanvasARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)
| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Causal Loop Diagram |  Architecture Software Architecture Canvas |  Architecture Architecture Inception Canvas |  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. | The Software Architecture Canvas reduces a system to the most important architecture decisions, constraints, and interfaces. It is useful when teams need a resilient overall picture quickly. | 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. | 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 | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | 1-2 h | 1-2 h | 2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 3-10 | 3-8 | Designers, developers as users, and facilitation |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Causal Loop Diagram, Feedback Notes, Leverage Points | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes | Inception Canvas, Risks, Goal List, Open Questions | Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisions |
Tagsno overlap | FeedbackSystems thinkingCausalityDynamics | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop | AlignmentArchitectureCanvas | ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks |