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Selected:ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)C4 ModelSoftware Architecture CanvasArchitecture Communication Canvas
| Criterion |  Architecture ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs) |  Architecture C4 Model |  Architecture Software Architecture Canvas |  Architecture Architecture Communication Canvas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | ARID examines how well developers can work with a technical design. It focuses on a part of the system that can still be revised, between the architecture overview and the detailed specification. | The C4 Model makes a system legible across several resolution levels, from context down to code. It suits situations where different audiences need to understand the same architecture from different altitudes. | 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. | The Architecture Communication Canvas plans architecture communication so the right people receive the right message. The method turns technical complexity into deliberate communication design. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional | 1-4 h | 1-2 h | 60-120 min |
Participantsdifferent | Designers, developers as users, and facilitation | 1-5 | 3-10 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisions | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes | Communication Canvas, Stakeholder Messages, Architecture Communication Plan |
Tags1 shared | ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop | ArchitectureCommunicationStakeholdersCanvas |