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Selected:Architecture Decision RecordIBISARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)Argument Mapping
| Criterion |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Knowledge Modeling IBIS |  Architecture ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs) |  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. | IBIS structures thinking about complex questions as a sequence of issues, ideas, and arguments. The method keeps discussions open without forcing them into premature consensus. | ARID examines how well developers can work with a technical design. It focuses on a part of the system that can still be revised, between the architecture overview and the detailed specification. | 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 | 1-3 h | 2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 1-3 | 2-8 | Designers, developers as users, and facilitation | 1-8 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Issue Map, Positions, Argument Notes | Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisions | Argument Map, Evidence Gaps, Decision Rationale |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | RationaleKnowledgeDecision | ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks | SensemakingDecisionRationale |