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Criterion
Paper illustration of a Polarity Map with two poles and four quadrants
Systems Thinking
Polarity Mapping
Rich Picture workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Systems Thinking
Rich Picture
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 CATWOE Analysis.
Systems Thinking
CATWOE Analysis
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.A Rich Picture brings an unclear situation onto a shared drawing. It captures actors, tensions, information flows, and blind spots before the team jumps to solutions too early.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.CATWOE structures a problem from six viewpoints and prevents too narrow a view of the situation. Different experiences of the system become comparably discussable this way.
Complexitydifferent
MediumLowMediumMedium
Timedifferent
1-2 h30-90 min3–4 h for initial assessment; preparation and deeper analysis additional45-90 min
Participantsdifferent
3-122-101 or a small team; particularly suitable for 3–4 people3-8
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Polarity Map, Warning Signs, Balance ActionsRich Picture, Problem Framing NotesLean 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 checksCATWOE Canvas, Root Definition, Stakeholder Perspectives, Constraints
Tagsno overlap
Systems thinkingTradeoffsLeadership
Systems thinkingSoft systemsFramingVisualization
ArchitectureQualityRiskAssessmentLean
Systems thinkingFramingStakeholders
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