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Criterion
Paper illustration of a Polarity Map with two poles and four quadrants
Systems Thinking
Polarity Mapping
Design sheets and interface cards connect to jointly written pseudocode with highlighted unresolved questions.
Architecture
ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)
Paper illustration for Theory of Constraints Thinking Process.
Systems Thinking
Theory of Constraints Thinking Process
Causal Loop Diagram workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Systems Thinking
Causal Loop Diagram
Purposedifferent
Polarity Mapping makes tensions between two opposing poles tangible, such as standardization and adaptation or control and autonomy. The method guards against making apparent either-or decisions prematurely.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.The Theory of Constraints Thinking Process exposes a system's bottleneck and the logic behind it. It suits situations where many symptoms trace back to the same limiting relationship.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.
Complexitydifferent
MediumMediumHighMedium
Timedifferent
1-2 h2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional0.5-3 Tage1-3 h
Participantsdifferent
3-12Designers, developers as users, and facilitation4-102-8
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshop
Outputdifferent
Polarity Map, Warning Signs, Balance ActionsPrioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisionsCurrent Reality Logic, Conflict Cloud, Future Reality Tree, Implementation ObstaclesCausal Loop Diagram, Feedback Notes, Leverage Points
Tagsno overlap
Systems thinkingTradeoffsLeadership
ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks
Theory of ConstraintsConstraintsSystems thinkingCausality
FeedbackSystems thinkingCausalityDynamics
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