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Selected:ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)GAP AnalysisArchitecture Decision Recordarc42
| Criterion | ![]() Architecture ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs) | ![]() Business Strategy GAP Analysis | ![]() Architecture Architecture Decision Record | ![]() Architecture arc42 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | GAP Analysis compares the current state with a target picture and makes the distance manageable. It becomes useful when, ahead of new initiatives, it must become clear which capabilities, processes, or resources are missing. | 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. | arc42 structures architecture knowledge so teams can document system, decisions, and risks consistently. The template builds a living understanding of the architecture instead of scattered notes. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional | 1-3 h | 15-45 min | 1-2 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | Designers, developers as users, and facilitation | 2-8 | 1-3 | 1-4 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisions | Gap Matrix, Action Plan, Risk Notes | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Architecture Document, Context View, Runtime View, Deployment View |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks | StrategyAnalysisPlanning | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication |



