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| Criterion |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Innovation Brainstorming |  Facilitation Consensus Workshop |  Innovation Lotus Blossom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 a team faces an open question with many obvious directions, the method first creates breadth instead of premature commitment. It separates idea flow from evaluation and makes lines of thought visible, creating a pool for selection and further development. | When a group needs a solid decision without outvoting individual factions, a Consensus Workshop creates a negotiable common ground. It makes agreement, reservations, and open tensions discussable at the same time. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 30-60 min | 1-3 h | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-3 | 4-12 | 5-30 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Idea pool, Theme clusters, Shortlist | Consensus Clusters, Theme Titles, Priority Areas | Lotus Diagram, Idea Themes, Shortlist |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | BrainstormingIdeationCreativityWorkshopDivergence | FacilitationConsensusWorkshopAlignment | BrainstormingIdeationCreativityDivergenceWorkshop |