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| Criterion |  Decision Making Argument Mapping |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Decision Making Cynefin Workshop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When statements, evidence, and counterarguments get mixed up, a debate quickly loses its structure. Argument Mapping breaks a thesis down into its reasoning and makes visible what it really rests on. | When research notes, feedback, or observations sit unconnected side by side, affinity diagramming sorts the raw material into solid themes. Many individual points turn into patterns that make decisions and opportunities clearer. | An ADR permanently records an architecture decision with context, trade-offs, and consequence. It creates continuity for later changes because the decision path stays traceable. | When problems are unclear, chaotic, or only seemingly familiar, standard recipes fall short. A Cynefin Workshop sorts situations by the nature of their problem and connects them with matching action logic. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | 45–90 min | 15-45 min | 60-180 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-8 | 3-10 | 1-3 | 4-20 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Argument Map, Evidence Gaps, Decision Rationale | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Cynefin Map, Domain-specific Actions, Sensemaking Notes |
Tagsno overlap | SensemakingDecisionRationale | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | ComplexitySensemakingDecision |