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| Criterion | ![]() Architecture arc42 | ![]() Architecture ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs) | ![]() Knowledge Modeling Feynman Technique | ![]() Architecture C4 Model |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 Feynman Technique checks understanding by explaining a topic so that it stays easy for others to understand. It makes knowledge gaps visible before they become costly in everyday work. | The C4 Model makes a system legible across several resolution levels, from context down to code. It suits situations where different audiences need to understand the same architecture from different altitudes. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-2 Tage | 2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional | 20-60 min | 1-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 1-4 | Designers, developers as users, and facilitation | 1 | 1-5 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop + 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 | Plain-language Explanation, Knowledge Gaps, Study Notes | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication | ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks | LearningKnowledgeUnderstanding | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization |



