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| Criterion |  Architecture arc42 |  Architecture Architecture Inception Canvas |  Product Discovery Assumption Mapping |  Product Discovery Riskiest Assumption Test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | arc42 structures architecture knowledge so teams can document system, decisions, and risks consistently. The template builds a living understanding of the architecture instead of scattered notes. | The Architecture Inception Canvas bundles the first architecture questions into a compact decision picture. It fits when an initiative is still in motion but still needs clear guardrails. | When assumptions still sit unordered in the room, it weighs uncertainty against leverage. It makes visible which hypotheses should be checked first. | When an idea hinges on one critical unknown, it prioritizes testing that exact piece of uncertainty first. It separates problem, assumption, solution, and evidence. The result is captured as a prioritized list of assumptions, a test plan, and a result report. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-2 Tage | 1-2 h | 45-60 min | 1-2 Wochen pro Iteration |
Participantsdifferent | 1-4 | 3-8 | 2-8 | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Architecture Document, Context View, Runtime View, Deployment View | Inception Canvas, Risks, Goal List, Open Questions | Assumption map, Test backlog, Risk ranking | Prioritized Assumption List, Test Plan, Results Report |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication | AlignmentArchitectureCanvas | AssumptionsRiskExperimentsValidation | ExperimentsValidationDiscoveryAssumptions |