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| Criterion |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Decision Making Cynefin Workshop |  Decision Making Decision Rights Mapping |  Decision Making Argument Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 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. | In organizations with many stakeholders, it often blurs who actually decides and who is merely consulted. It separates options, evaluation criteria, and open risks. The result is captured as a Decision Rights matrix and an agreement. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 60-180 min | 90-180 min | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 1-3 | 4-20 | 4-12 | 1-8 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Cynefin Map, Domain-specific Actions, Sensemaking Notes | Decision Rights Matrix, Agreement | Argument Map, Evidence Gaps, Decision Rationale |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | ComplexitySensemakingDecision | DecisionGovernanceAlignmentResponsibility | SensemakingDecisionRationale |