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| Criterion |  Architecture Architecture Inception Canvas |  Systems Thinking CATWOE Analysis |  Architecture Views and Beyond |  Architecture arc42 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | CATWOE structures a problem from six viewpoints and prevents too narrow a view of the situation. Different experiences of the system become comparably discussable this way. | 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. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h | 45-90 min | 1-3 Tage | 1-2 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 3-8 | 1-4 | 1-4 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Inception Canvas, Risks, Goal List, Open Questions | CATWOE Canvas, Root Definition, Stakeholder Perspectives, Constraints | Architecture Views, Cross-view Notes, Rationale | Architecture Document, Context View, Runtime View, Deployment View |
Tagsno overlap | AlignmentArchitectureCanvas | Systems thinkingFramingStakeholders | DocumentationStakeholdersArchitecture | ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication |