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| Criterion |  Decision Making Argument Mapping |  Decision Making Decision Rights Mapping |  UX Research Affinity Diagramming |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | In organizations with many stakeholders, it often blurs who actually decides and who is merely consulted. It separates options, evaluation criteria, and open risks. The result is captured as a Decision Rights matrix and an agreement. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | 90-180 min | 45–90 min | 15-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-8 | 4-12 | 3-10 | 1-3 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Async |
Outputdifferent | Argument Map, Evidence Gaps, Decision Rationale | Decision Rights Matrix, Agreement | Theme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale |
Tagsno overlap | SensemakingDecisionRationale | DecisionGovernanceAlignmentResponsibility | SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance |