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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
Four paper stations connect system purpose, quality goals, risk cards and focused investigation with a target and gap profile.
Architecture
LASR (Lightweight Approach for Software Reviews)
Paper illustration for Alignment Mapping.
Facilitation
Alignment Mapping
Paper illustration of Power-Interest Grid with a method-specific labelled workspace.
Facilitation
Power Interest Grid
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.LASR helps development teams identify where their software falls short of important quality goals and which improvements to consider. A small group with existing system knowledge can make an initial assessment and investigate open questions in more detail.When several people work toward one goal but hold different mental maps, Alignment Mapping makes the discrepancies visible. It arranges goals, assumptions, and priorities so shared direction becomes verifiable.When many stakeholders compete for attention at once, the Power Interest Grid sorts them by influence and stake. It turns individual contributions into a visible selection. The result is captured as a Power Interest Grid and a stakeholder-specific strategy.
Complexitydifferent
LowMediumMediumLow
Timedifferent
15-45 min3–4 h for initial assessment; preparation and deeper analysis additional1-2 h30-60 min
Participantsdifferent
1-31 or a small team; particularly suitable for 3–4 people4-122-8
Formatdifferent
AsyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshop
Outputdifferent
ADR File, Decision Log, RationaleLean Mission Statement describing the software’s purpose, Prioritized quality goals and evaluation criteria, Risks and estimated gaps against quality goals, More closely examined findings and open checksAlignment Map, Open Issues, Decision QuestionsPower Interest Grid, Strategy per Stakeholder
Tagsno overlap
ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance
ArchitectureQualityRiskAssessmentLean
AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation
StakeholdersFacilitationAlignmentPlanning
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