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Criterion
Systems Mapping method illustration showing its working structure
Systems Thinking
Systems Mapping
Design sheets and interface cards connect to jointly written pseudocode with highlighted unresolved questions.
Architecture
ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)
Context Map workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Domain Modeling
Context Map
Paper illustration for Domain Context Map
Domain Modeling
Domain Context Map
Purposedifferent
Systems Mapping arranges elements, relationships, and boundaries so a complex field becomes legible at a glance. The overview stabilizes the overall picture before detail work or steering begins.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.When several contexts need to talk to each other, it makes their relationships and dependencies legible. It helps sort integration pressure and responsibilities across system boundaries.When a domain model and its associated contexts need to be thought through together, it creates a shared overview. It connects the business view and organizational boundary into a readable whole.
Complexitysame
MediumMediumMediumMedium
Timedifferent
1-3 h2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional1-3 h1-3 h
Participantsdifferent
3-12Designers, developers as users, and facilitation2-83-10
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop
Outputdifferent
System Map, Dependencies, Leverage PointsPrioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisionsContext Map, Integration Patterns, Boundary NotesDomain Context Map, Boundary Notes, Ownership Map
Tagsno overlap
Systems thinkingMappingBoundariesChange
ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks
Domain-Driven DesignBoundariesStrategy
Domain-Driven DesignContextBoundaries
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