The term “Straw Man Review” is used to describe the process of publishing an early draft of a design proposal that may be controversial, or offer solutions that have not been fully socialised. Other cases include where the gathering of all information relevant to the design has not been possible but you have deadlines.
The Straw Man Design then becomes a target for critical review and, hopefully, encourages all parties to get around the table and discuss the requirements. It is intended to encourage this type of approach as a method for crossing a gap in the design process where agreement or information is not available.
The term Straw Man comes from the use of Straw Filled Dummies used as target practice on firing range, especially for bowhunting or archery.
