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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 Change Analysis.
Operations
Change Analysis
Paper illustration of a decision table with criteria rows, weighted ratings, and a narrowly leading alternative.
Decision Making
Decision Matrix
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.For a deviation after a change, the method isolates the influence of the altered condition. It narrows down which differences are relevant and which are just accompanying noise.When several options collide with several criteria, comparison quickly becomes subjective. A Decision Matrix makes the trade-off visible and brings weighting, criteria, and options into a shared logic.
Complexitydifferent
LowMediumMedium
Timedifferent
15-45 min45-120 min45-90 min
Participantsdifferent
1-32-62-8
Formatdifferent
AsyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
ADR File, Decision Log, RationaleChange Matrix, Cause Hypotheses, Validation Questions, Action ListDecision Matrix, Scoring Rationale, Selected Option
Tagsno overlap
ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance
ChangeRoot causeTroubleshootingComparison
DecisionCriteriaScoringTradeoffs
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Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Paper illustration of Request for Comments (RFC) with its method-specific working model.
Architecture
Request for Comments
Paper illustration with architecture components and concrete change tasks for comparison.
Architecture
SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)
Paper illustration for Trade-off Analysis.
Decision Making
Trade-off Analysis