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| Criterion |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Decision Making Pre-Mortem |  Decision Making Risk Matrix |
|---|---|---|---|
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. | In early initiatives with many uncertainties, planning quickly turns too optimistic. A pre-mortem makes the expected failure visible in advance and sharpens the view of causes, gaps, and countermeasures. | When a project faces many possible disruptions, it quickly becomes unclear which risks deserve attention first. It separates options, evaluation criteria, and open risks. The result is captured as a Risk Matrix and a Top Risk List. |
Complexitysame | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 20–45 min | 30-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-3 | Small cross-functional group | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Risk list, Mitigation plan, Assumption log | Risk Matrix, Top Risk List |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | RiskDecisionFailurePlanning | RiskDecisionPrioritizationAssessment |
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