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Criterion
Four paper stations connect system purpose, quality goals, risk cards and focused investigation with a target and gap profile.
Architecture
LASR (Lightweight Approach for Software Reviews)
Paper illustration for Bucket System.
Agile
Bucket System
Paper illustration of two considered options leading to a decision record with a marked status and visible consequences.
Architecture
Architecture Decision Record
Paper illustration for Dot Estimation.
Facilitation
Dot Estimation
Purposedifferent
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.When a large batch of work needs a fast, rough estimate, it sorts items into predefined size buckets. It sorts work by value, risk, and delivery ability. The result is captured as a Bucketed Backlog, Relative Estimates, and Split Candidates.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 size or effort can only be estimated roughly, Dot Estimation condenses the group's experience into a quick range. It turns individual contributions into a visible selection. The result is captured as an Effort Heatmap, Risk Signals, and Discussion Targets.
Complexitydifferent
MediumMediumLowLow
Timedifferent
3–4 h for initial assessment; preparation and deeper analysis additional30-90 min15-45 min5-20 min
Participantsdifferent
1 or a small team; particularly suitable for 3–4 people3-121-33-20
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshopAsyncWorkshop
Outputdifferent
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 checksBucketed Backlog, Relative Estimates, Split CandidatesADR File, Decision Log, RationaleEffort Heatmap, Risk Signals, Discussion Targets
Tagsno overlap
ArchitectureQualityRiskAssessmentLean
EstimationBacklogRelative sizing
ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance
EstimationEffortRisk
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