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| Criterion |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Innovation Solo Brainstorming |  Decision Making Argument Mapping |  Innovation Brainstorming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | For an individual thinking problem with no counterpart immediately available, the method creates a protected space for one's own approaches. It prevents outside opinions from narrowing thinking too early. This lets ideas mature before they go into a group format. | 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. | When a team faces an open question with many obvious directions, the method first creates breadth instead of premature commitment. It separates idea flow from evaluation and makes lines of thought visible, creating a pool for selection and further development. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 15-60 min | 1-3 h | 30-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-3 | 1 | 1-8 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Personal Idea List, Sketches or Mind Map, Pre-Read for Group Session | Argument Map, Evidence Gaps, Decision Rationale | Idea pool, Theme clusters, Shortlist |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | BrainstormingIdeationAsync | SensemakingDecisionRationale | BrainstormingIdeationCreativityWorkshopDivergence |