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| Criterion |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Engineering Hypothesis-Driven Troubleshooting |  Architecture C4 Model |  Engineering Fault Isolation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 systems fail unexpectedly, spontaneous attempts often produce more noise than insight. Hypothesis-driven Troubleshooting translates symptoms into testable assumptions and makes troubleshooting learnable. | The C4 Model makes a system legible across several resolution levels, from context down to code. It suits situations where different audiences need to understand the same architecture from different altitudes. | In technical failures, the visible symptom often gets mixed up with the actual cause. Fault Isolation narrows the fault space and progressively reduces which part of the system is truly affected. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 30-240 min | 1-4 h | 30-180 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-3 | 1-6 | 1-5 | 1-6 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Hypothesis Log, Test Plan, Evidence Notes, Diagnosis Summary | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram | Fault Isolation Map, Test Log, Excluded Hypotheses, Narrowed Fault Area |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | TroubleshootingProblem solvingDiagnosis | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization | TroubleshootingDiagnosisEngineering |