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| Criterion | ![]() Architecture Architecture Decision Record | ![]() Agile Bucket System | ![]() Decision Making Cynefin Workshop | ![]() Agile Affinity Estimation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 large batch of work needs a fast, rough estimate, it sorts items into predefined size buckets. It sorts work by value, risk, and delivery ability. The result is captured as a Bucketed Backlog, Relative Estimates, and Split Candidates. | When problems are unclear, chaotic, or only seemingly familiar, standard recipes fall short. A Cynefin Workshop sorts situations by the nature of their problem and connects them with matching action logic. | When many tasks need to be classified quickly, it sorts them by perceived effort and similarity. It reduces the effort of fine-grained estimation for large volumes. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 30-90 min | 60-180 min | 30-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-3 | 3-12 | 4-20 | 3-12 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Bucketed Backlog, Relative Estimates, Split Candidates | Cynefin Map, Domain-specific Actions, Sensemaking Notes | Affinity Size Map, Grouped Estimates, Unclear Items |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | EstimationBacklogRelative sizing | ComplexitySensemakingDecision | EstimationBacklogRelative sizing |



