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Selected:Assumption SurfacingSoftware Architecture CanvasArchitecture Decision RecordRequest for Comments
| Criterion | ![]() Decision Making Assumption Surfacing | ![]() Architecture Software Architecture Canvas | ![]() Architecture Architecture Decision Record | ![]() Architecture Request for Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | An RFC clarifies architecture context, options, and consequences. It structures technical context, alternatives, tradeoffs, open questions, and review feedback, and captures the result as an RFC document, reviewer comments, and a decision rationale. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | 1-2 h | 15-45 min | 1-3 Wochen vom Draft bis zur Entscheidung |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 3-10 | 1-3 | 3-20 Reviewer |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Async | Async |
Outputdifferent | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | RFC document, Reviewer comments, Decision rationale, Follow-up ADR or tickets |
Tagsno overlap | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | ArchitectureDecisionAsyncGovernance |



