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| Criterion |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Architecture Request for Comments |  Decision Making Constraint Analysis |  Decision Making Decision Rights 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. | An RFC clarifies architecture context, options, and consequences. It structures technical context, alternatives, tradeoffs, open questions, and review feedback, and captures the result as an RFC document, reviewer comments, and a decision rationale. | When an initiative stalls, the limit often lies not in the idea but in hard or soft boundary conditions. Constraint Analysis separates these limits and shows which of them can actually be shaped. | In organizations with many stakeholders, it often blurs who actually decides and who is merely consulted. It separates options, evaluation criteria, and open risks. The result is captured as a Decision Rights matrix and an agreement. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 1-3 Wochen vom Draft bis zur Entscheidung | 30-90 min | 90-180 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-3 | 3-20 Reviewer | 2-8 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | RFC document, Reviewer comments, Decision rationale, Follow-up ADR or tickets | Constraint List, Hard/Soft Classification, Option Impact Notes, Decision Boundaries | Decision Rights Matrix, Agreement |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | ArchitectureDecisionAsyncGovernance | ConstraintsDecisionPlanningOptions | DecisionGovernanceAlignmentResponsibility |