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| Criterion |  Architecture arc42 |  Engineering Fault Isolation |  Engineering Golden Path |  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. | In technical failures, the visible symptom often gets mixed up with the actual cause. Fault Isolation narrows the fault space and progressively reduces which part of the system is truly affected. | When teams need a reliable default path for frequent use, sprawl quickly emerges without any guiding logic. Golden Path bundles the preferred path so good practice becomes easy and deviation becomes deliberate. | 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 | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-2 Tage | 30-180 min | 1-3 Tage Setup, laufend | 1-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 1-4 | 1-6 | 2-8 | 1-5 |
Formatsame | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Architecture Document, Context View, Runtime View, Deployment View | Fault Isolation Map, Test Log, Excluded Hypotheses, Narrowed Fault Area | Golden Path Guide, Templates, Quality Checks | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication | TroubleshootingDiagnosisEngineering | EngineeringProductivityGovernance | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization |