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| Criterion |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Architecture Views and Beyond |  Architecture Software Architecture Canvas |  Facilitation Alignment 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. | Views and Beyond organizes architecture into several views so no single diagram has to do everything at once. This makes it possible to choose the representation that fits the stakeholder's question. | The Software Architecture Canvas reduces a system to the most important architecture decisions, constraints, and interfaces. It is useful when teams need a resilient overall picture quickly. | When several people work toward one goal but hold different mental maps, Alignment Mapping makes the discrepancies visible. It arranges goals, assumptions, and priorities so shared direction becomes verifiable. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 1-3 Tage | 1-2 h | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 1-3 | 1-4 | 3-10 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Architecture Views, Cross-view Notes, Rationale | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | DocumentationStakeholdersArchitecture | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation |