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Selected:Causal Loop DiagramStock and Flow DiagramLASR (Lightweight Approach for Software Reviews)ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)
| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Causal Loop Diagram |  Systems Thinking Stock and Flow Diagram |  Architecture LASR (Lightweight Approach for Software Reviews) |  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. | A Stock and Flow Diagram shows how stocks, inflows, and outflows shape a system over time. It is especially suited when growth, delays, or capacity limits determine the dynamics. | 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. | 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 | High | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | 2-6 h | 3–4 h for initial assessment; preparation and deeper analysis additional | 2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 1-6 | 1 or a small team; particularly suitable for 3–4 people | Designers, developers as users, and facilitation |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Causal Loop Diagram, Feedback Notes, Leverage Points | Stock and Flow Model, Dynamics Notes, Simulation Hypotheses | Lean 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 checks | Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisions |
Tagsno overlap | FeedbackSystems thinkingCausalityDynamics | DynamicsSimulationFeedbackSystems thinking | ArchitectureQualityRiskAssessmentLean | ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks |