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Criterion
Paper illustration of two considered options leading to a decision record with a marked status and visible consequences.
Architecture
Architecture Decision Record
Paper illustration for Argument Mapping
Decision Making
Argument Mapping
Paper illustration of the Lotus Blossom working structure.
Innovation
Lotus Blossom
Paper illustration of Request for Comments (RFC) with its method-specific working model.
Architecture
Request for Comments
Purposedifferent
An ADR permanently records an architecture decision with context, trade-offs, and consequence. It creates continuity for later changes because the decision path stays traceable.When statements, evidence, and counterarguments get mixed up, a debate quickly loses its structure. Argument Mapping breaks a thesis down into its reasoning and makes visible what it really rests on.When a central question feels too large, the method breaks it into neighboring topic fields with their own depth of ideation. It holds structure and openness at the same time, so adjacent perspectives don't get lost. This grows an idea space out of a core problem.An RFC clarifies architecture context, options, and consequences. It structures technical context, alternatives, tradeoffs, open questions, and review feedback, and captures the result as an RFC document, reviewer comments, and a decision rationale.
Complexitydifferent
LowMediumLowMedium
Timedifferent
15-45 min1-3 h45-90 min1-3 Wochen vom Draft bis zur Entscheidung
Participantsdifferent
1-31-83-103-20 Reviewer
Formatdifferent
AsyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshopAsync
Outputdifferent
ADR File, Decision Log, RationaleArgument Map, Evidence Gaps, Decision RationaleLotus Diagram, Idea Themes, ShortlistRFC document, Reviewer comments, Decision rationale, Follow-up ADR or tickets
Tagsno overlap
ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance
SensemakingDecisionRationale
BrainstormingIdeationCreativityDivergenceWorkshop
ArchitectureDecisionAsyncGovernance
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