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| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Polarity Mapping |  Systems Thinking Stock and Flow Diagram |  Architecture ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs) |
|---|---|---|---|
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 Stock and Flow Diagram shows how stocks, inflows, and outflows shape a system over time. It is especially suited when growth, delays, or capacity limits determine the dynamics. | 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 | Medium | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h | 2-6 h | 2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional |
Participantsdifferent | 3-12 | 1-6 | Designers, developers as users, and facilitation |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Polarity Map, Warning Signs, Balance Actions | Stock and Flow Model, Dynamics Notes, Simulation Hypotheses | Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisions |
Tagsno overlap | Systems thinkingTradeoffsLeadership | DynamicsSimulationFeedbackSystems thinking | ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks |
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