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| Criterion |  Architecture Architecture Inception Canvas |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |  Operations Gemba Walk |  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. | When a problem has several possible contributing factors, the method sorts causes by cause areas. It prevents an initial hunch from blocking the view of other plausible drivers. | When there is uncertainty about the real course of a process, the method brings observation to the place where work happens. It combines perception, follow-up questions, and process knowledge so decisions rest on actual workflows instead of assumptions. | 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. |
Complexitysame | Low | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h | 30-60 min | 30-120 min | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 2-8 | 2-6 | 3-10 |
Formatsame | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Inception Canvas, Risks, Goal List, Open Questions | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog | Observation Notes, Improvement Ideas | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes |
Tagsno overlap | AlignmentArchitectureCanvas | Root causeQualityOperations | LeanObservationProcessOperations | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop |