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| Criterion |  Architecture Architecture Inception Canvas |  Systems Thinking Rich Picture |  Architecture Software Architecture Canvas |  Systems Thinking CATWOE Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | A Rich Picture brings an unclear situation onto a shared drawing. It captures actors, tensions, information flows, and blind spots before the team jumps to solutions too early. | 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. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h | 30-90 min | 1-2 h | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 2-10 | 3-10 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Inception Canvas, Risks, Goal List, Open Questions | Rich Picture, Problem Framing Notes | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes | CATWOE Canvas, Root Definition, Stakeholder Perspectives, Constraints |
Tagsno overlap | AlignmentArchitectureCanvas | Systems thinkingSoft systemsFramingVisualization | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop | Systems thinkingFramingStakeholders |