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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 Contextual Inquiry.
UX Research
Contextual Inquiry
Paper illustration for RAPID
Decision Making
RAPID
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 work processes are known only from accounts and the real context stays hidden, Contextual Inquiry makes behavior at the workplace visible. Observation and follow-up questions together show how people actually work, get interrupted, and improvise.In complex management decisions, clarity is often missing about who recommends, who agrees, and who makes the decision. RAPID creates this assignment and stabilizes decisions across several levels.
Complexitydifferent
LowMediumMedium
Timedifferent
15-45 min1-3 Wochen45-90 min
Participantsdifferent
1-34-12 Beobachtungen3-12
Formatdifferent
AsyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
ADR File, Decision Log, RationaleField Notes, Workflow Insights, Pain PointsRAPID Role Map, Recommendation, Decision Log
Tagsno overlap
ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance
UX researchObservationContext
DecisionRolesGovernance
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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 for Argument Mapping
Decision Making
Argument Mapping