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| Criterion |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Decision Making Decision Matrix |  Architecture Request for Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
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 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. | An RFC clarifies architecture context, options, and consequences. It structures technical context, alternatives, tradeoffs, open questions, and review feedback, and captures the result as an RFC document, reviewer comments, and a decision rationale. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 45-90 min | 1-3 Wochen vom Draft bis zur Entscheidung |
Participantsdifferent | 1-3 | 2-8 | 3-20 Reviewer |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop + async | Async |
Outputdifferent | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Decision Matrix, Scoring Rationale, Selected Option | RFC document, Reviewer comments, Decision rationale, Follow-up ADR or tickets |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | DecisionCriteriaScoringTradeoffs | ArchitectureDecisionAsyncGovernance |
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Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.
