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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 mind map with a central course onboarding question, colored main branches, keywords and cross-links.
Facilitation
Mind Mapping
Paper illustration of Stakeholder Salience Model with its method-specific working model.
Facilitation
Stakeholder Salience Model
Paper illustration for Alignment Mapping.
Facilitation
Alignment 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.When a topic is still unclear and too many thoughts surface at once, Mind Mapping creates an open surface for ordering them. It makes connections, subtopics, and starting points visible without fixing them too early.When stakeholders appear to matter very differently, the Stakeholder Salience Model rates their actual priority through power, legitimacy, and urgency. It turns individual contributions into a visible selection. The result is captured as a Salience diagram and a class-based strategy.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.
Complexitydifferent
LowLowMediumMedium
Timedifferent
15-45 min15-45 min60-90 min1-2 h
Participantsdifferent
1-31-103-64-12
Formatdifferent
AsyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshop
Outputdifferent
ADR File, Decision Log, RationaleMind Map, Topic Clusters, Open QuestionsSalience Diagram, Strategy per ClassAlignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions
Tagsno overlap
ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance
BrainstormingIdeasMappingStructureFacilitation
StakeholdersFacilitationAlignmentGovernance
AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation
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