View methods side by side.
Choose up to four methods. Add them using the search and share the comparison by copying its link.
| Criterion | ![]() Architecture arc42 | ![]() Agile Starfish Retrospective | ![]() Business Strategy Strategy Execution Loop | ![]() 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. | When improvement options need to be sorted more finely than just start and stop, it brings observations into clear kinds of action. This makes visible what should be done more, less, newly, or continued. | The Strategy Execution Loop helps avoid treating strategy as a one-off document. It makes visible how strategic decisions are turned into objectives, initiatives, operational work, measurement, and learning. | 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 | Low | High | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-2 Tage | 45-90 min | Initial 3-6 h, then monthly or quarterly reviews | 15-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-4 | 4-12 | 5-12 | 1-3 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Async |
Outputdifferent | Architecture Document, Context View, Runtime View, Deployment View | Starfish Board, Practice Changes, Experiments | Execution Loop, Review Cadence, Strategic Learning Log | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication | RetrospectiveImprovementExperimentsTeam | ExecutionCadenceLearningGovernance | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance |



