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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
Rich Picture workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Systems Thinking
Rich Picture
Paper illustration for Argument Mapping
Decision Making
Argument 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.A Rich Picture brings an unclear situation onto a shared drawing. It captures actors, tensions, information flows, and blind spots before the team jumps to solutions too early.When statements, evidence, and counterarguments get mixed up, a debate quickly loses its structure. Argument Mapping breaks a thesis down into its reasoning and makes visible what it really rests on.
Complexitydifferent
LowLowMedium
Timedifferent
15-45 min30-90 min1-3 h
Participantsdifferent
1-32-101-8
Formatdifferent
AsyncWorkshopWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
ADR File, Decision Log, RationaleRich Picture, Problem Framing NotesArgument Map, Evidence Gaps, Decision Rationale
Tagsno overlap
ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance
Systems thinkingSoft systemsFramingVisualization
SensemakingDecisionRationale
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Often compared together

Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Paper illustration of Request for Comments (RFC) with its method-specific working model.
Architecture
Request for Comments
Paper illustration for Soft Systems Methodology.
Systems Thinking
Soft Systems Methodology
A paper-based illustration representing C4 Model with its core stages and visible working result.
Architecture
C4 Model