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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 of a decision table with criteria rows, weighted ratings, and a narrowly leading alternative.
Decision Making
Decision Matrix
Views and Beyond method illustration showing its working structure
Architecture
Views and Beyond
Paper illustration for Trade-off Analysis.
Decision Making
Trade-off Analysis
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.Views and Beyond organizes architecture into several views so no single diagram has to do everything at once. This makes it possible to choose the representation that fits the stakeholder's question.With limited resources, quality, speed, cost, and risk almost always compete with each other. Trade-off Analysis makes these tensions explicit and prevents decisions from producing hidden side effects.
Complexitydifferent
LowMediumMediumMedium
Timedifferent
15-45 min45-90 min1-3 Tage45-120 min
Participantsdifferent
1-32-81-42-8
Formatdifferent
AsyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
ADR File, Decision Log, RationaleDecision Matrix, Scoring Rationale, Selected OptionArchitecture Views, Cross-view Notes, RationaleTrade-off Matrix, Criteria List, Decision Rationale, Accepted Downsides
Tagsno overlap
ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance
DecisionCriteriaScoringTradeoffs
DocumentationStakeholdersArchitecture
TradeoffsDecisionCriteriaOptions
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