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| Criterion | ![]() Architecture Architecture Decision Record | ![]() Decision Making Argument Mapping | ![]() Product Discovery Smoke Test | ![]() Growth A/B Testing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 demand only needs to be roughly verified, it tests interest with minimal effort. It measures whether people would take a next step at all. | When two variants compete, discussions quickly decide by taste rather than effect. A/B Testing checks behavior under controlled conditions and separates real improvement from chance or expectation effects. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | High |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 1-3 h | 1-5 Tage | 1-4 Wochen |
Participantsdifferent | 1-3 | 1-8 | Nutzertraffic | 1-6 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop + async | Async | Async |
Outputdifferent | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Argument Map, Evidence Gaps, Decision Rationale | Interest Metrics, Conversion Signal, Learning Note | Experiment results, Decision log, Learning summary |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | SensemakingDecisionRationale | ValidationExperimentsDemandGrowth | ExperimentsGrowthAnalyticsValidation |



