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Selected:Current Reality Tree Causal Loop Diagram Architecture Decision Record ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)

Criterion	Systems Thinking Current Reality Tree	Systems Thinking Causal Loop Diagram	Architecture Architecture Decision Record	Architecture ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)
Purposedifferent	A Current Reality Tree condenses many symptoms into a few causal chains. The method makes visible which core problems drive several negative effects at once.	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.	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	High	Medium	Low	Medium
Timedifferent	2-6 h	1-3 h	15-45 min	2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional
Participantsdifferent	3-8	2-8	1-3	Designers, developers as users, and facilitation
Formatdifferent	Workshop	Workshop	Async	Workshop + async
Outputdifferent	Current Reality Tree, Core Problems, Intervention Ideas	Causal Loop Diagram, Feedback Notes, Leverage Points	ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale	Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisions
Tagsno overlap	Systems thinkingRoot causeConstraintsCausality	FeedbackSystems thinkingCausalityDynamics	ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance	ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks

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