artifactbased

Artifactbased, often written as artifact-based or artifactbased, is an adjective used to describe approaches, methods, or analyses that place artifacts—concrete outputs such as documents, models, prototypes, or other tangible products—at the center of study or operation. The term is not a single discipline, but a cross-cutting descriptor applied in education, software engineering, research, and other fields to indicate that artifacts serve as the primary evidence, object of manipulation, or unit of governance.

In education and assessment, artifact-based approaches rely on students’ produced artifacts (portfolios, projects, reports) as the main basis for evaluation. Rubrics, exemplars, and reflective notes accompany artifacts to interpret learning progress and competencies. This mode emphasizes authenticity and demonstrable abilities over test scores alone.

In software engineering and business process management, artifact-based or artifact-centric approaches treat artifacts as first-class citizens guiding design, development, and compliance. Examples include artifact-centric BPM, where process logic is anchored to the lifecycle of documents or data objects, and artifact-driven workflows that evolve around meaningful outputs rather than solely around activities.

In research, artifact-based methods use artifacts as evidence for claims, enabling traceability and reproducibility. Researchers document decisions, data products, and methodological artifacts to support replication and meta-analysis.

Because the term is broad, its precise meaning depends on the domain. Potential challenges include maintaining consistent artifact definitions, managing artifact lifecycles, and ensuring alignment between artifacts and intended outcomes.