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Selected:arc42ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)Architecture Communication CanvasArchitecture Decision Record
| Criterion |  Architecture arc42 |  Architecture ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs) |  Architecture Architecture Communication Canvas |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | ARID examines how well developers can work with a technical design. It focuses on a part of the system that can still be revised, between the architecture overview and the detailed specification. | The Architecture Communication Canvas plans architecture communication so the right people receive the right message. The method turns technical complexity into deliberate communication design. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-2 Tage | 2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional | 60-120 min | 15-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-4 | Designers, developers as users, and facilitation | 2-8 | 1-3 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Async |
Outputdifferent | Architecture Document, Context View, Runtime View, Deployment View | Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisions | Communication Canvas, Stakeholder Messages, Architecture Communication Plan | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale |
Tags1 shared | ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication | ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks | ArchitectureCommunicationStakeholdersCanvas | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance |