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Selected:Stock and Flow DiagramATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)Causal Loop DiagramARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)
| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Stock and Flow Diagram |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Systems Thinking Causal Loop Diagram |  Architecture ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | ATAM helps teams weigh architecture decisions when quality goals compete. The team considers business goals, stakeholder expectations, and technical decisions together. The evaluation shows which risks need further investigation. | 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. | 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 | High | High | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 2-6 h | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 1-3 h | 2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional |
Participantsdifferent | 1-6 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 2-8 | Designers, developers as users, and facilitation |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Stock and Flow Model, Dynamics Notes, Simulation Hypotheses | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | Causal Loop Diagram, Feedback Notes, Leverage Points | Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisions |
Tagsno overlap | DynamicsSimulationFeedbackSystems thinking | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | FeedbackSystems thinkingCausalityDynamics | ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks |