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| Criterion |  Architecture arc42 |  Architecture Views and Beyond |  Architecture Architecture Inception Canvas |  Facilitation Alignment Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | Views and Beyond organizes architecture into several views so no single diagram has to do everything at once. This makes it possible to choose the representation that fits the stakeholder's question. | The Architecture Inception Canvas bundles the first architecture questions into a compact decision picture. It fits when an initiative is still in motion but still needs clear guardrails. | When several people work toward one goal but hold different mental maps, Alignment Mapping makes the discrepancies visible. It arranges goals, assumptions, and priorities so shared direction becomes verifiable. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-2 Tage | 1-3 Tage | 1-2 h | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 1-4 | 1-4 | 3-8 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Architecture Document, Context View, Runtime View, Deployment View | Architecture Views, Cross-view Notes, Rationale | Inception Canvas, Risks, Goal List, Open Questions | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication | DocumentationStakeholdersArchitecture | AlignmentArchitectureCanvas | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation |