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| Criterion | ![]() Architecture arc42 | ![]() Decision Making Pre-Mortem | ![]() Product Discovery Smoke Test | ![]() Architecture Risk Storming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 early initiatives with many uncertainties, planning quickly turns too optimistic. A pre-mortem makes the expected failure visible in advance and sharpens the view of causes, gaps, and countermeasures. | When demand only needs to be roughly verified, it tests interest with minimal effort. It measures whether people would take a next step at all. | Helps clarify architecture context, options, and consequences in concrete terms. It organizes technical context, alternatives, and consequences. The result is captured as an Annotated Diagram, a Prioritized Risk List, and an Action Backlog. |
Complexitysame | Low | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-2 Tage | 20–45 min | 1-5 Tage | 60-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-4 | Small cross-functional group | Nutzertraffic | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Architecture Document, Context View, Runtime View, Deployment View | Risk list, Mitigation plan, Assumption log | Interest Metrics, Conversion Signal, Learning Note | Annotated Diagram, Prioritized Risk List, Action Backlog |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication | RiskDecisionFailurePlanning | ValidationExperimentsDemandGrowth | RiskArchitectureWorkshopValidation |



