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| Criterion |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Business Strategy PESTLE Analysis |  Business Strategy SWOT Analysis |  Architecture arc42 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | PESTLE Analysis makes political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental influences visible. The environment of an initiative is thereby read systematically instead of through isolated trends. | SWOT Analysis arranges strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats into a compact picture of the situation. It keeps internal capabilities and external influences separate before strategic options emerge from them. | arc42 structures architecture knowledge so teams can document system, decisions, and risks consistently. The template builds a living understanding of the architecture instead of scattered notes. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 1-3 h | 30-60 min | 1-2 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | 1-3 | 2-10 | 3-12 | 1-4 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | PESTLE Map, External Risks, Strategic Questions | SWOT matrix, Strategic options, Action list | Architecture Document, Context View, Runtime View, Deployment View |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | StrategyMarketAnalysis | StrategyAnalysisMarketPositioning | ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication |