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| Criterion |  Architecture Architecture Inception Canvas |  Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |  Delivery Cost of Delay |  Architecture Software Architecture Canvas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | Plans often contain assumptions that were never openly stated and remain dangerous precisely because of that. Assumption Surfacing makes these silent premises visible and prioritizes which of them carry the initiative or could sink it. | Helps clarify scope, order, and delivery flow in concrete terms. It makes work, constraints, and sequence manageable. The result is captured as a Cost of Delay table and prioritization sequence. | The Software Architecture Canvas reduces a system to the most important architecture decisions, constraints, and interfaces. It is useful when teams need a resilient overall picture quickly. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | High | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h | 45-90 min | 90-180 min | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 2-8 | 3-8 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Inception Canvas, Risks, Goal List, Open Questions | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan | CoD Table, Prioritization Sequence | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes |
Tagsno overlap | AlignmentArchitectureCanvas | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery | PrioritizationDeliveryEconomicsDecision | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop |