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| Criterion |  Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |  Architecture Software Architecture Canvas |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Decision Making DACI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | Plans often contain assumptions that were never openly stated and remain dangerous precisely because of that. Assumption Surfacing makes these silent premises visible and prioritizes which of them carry the initiative or could sink it. | 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. | 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. | In cross-functional decisions, responsibilities quickly blur between approval, influence, and execution. DACI arranges these roles so decision pressure, contribution, and information stay cleanly separated. |
Complexitysame | Low | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | 1-2 h | 15-45 min | 30-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 3-10 | 1-3 | 2-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | DACI Matrix, Decision Owner, Decision Log |
Tagsno overlap | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | DecisionRolesGovernanceAlignment |