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Criterion
Paper illustration for Current Reality Tree
Systems Thinking
Current Reality Tree
Paper illustration with architecture components and concrete change tasks for comparison.
Architecture
SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)
Paper illustration of System Dynamics Simulation with its method-specific working model.
Systems Thinking
System Dynamics Simulation
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.SAAM helps teams judge an architecture’s suitability for selected tasks and changes. It is particularly useful for examining modifiability and comparing architecture alternatives with clear reasoning.System Dynamics Simulation makes assumptions about time, delay, and feedback testable through experiments. It draws relationships, patterns, and feedback loops. The result is captured as a simulation model and scenario reports.
Complexitysame
HighHighHigh
Timedifferent
2-6 hPreparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scopeMehrere Tage bis Wochen
Participantsdifferent
3-8Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting1-5 Modellierende, Stakeholder asynchron
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshop + asyncAsync
Outputdifferent
Current Reality Tree, Core Problems, Intervention IdeasDomain functions mapped to components and connections, Quality attributes and evaluation criteria, Typical tasks and their effects on the architecture, Reasoned evaluation or comparison of alternativesSimulation Model, Scenario Reports
Tagsno overlap
Systems thinkingRoot causeConstraintsCausality
ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality
Systems thinkingDynamicsSimulationAnalysis
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Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Causal Loop Diagram workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Systems Thinking
Causal Loop Diagram
Paper illustration for Change Analysis.
Operations
Change Analysis
Stock and Flow Diagram method illustration showing its working structure
Systems Thinking
Stock and Flow Diagram
Paper illustration for Theory of Constraints Thinking Process.
Systems Thinking
Theory of Constraints Thinking Process