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| Criterion |  Agile Bucket System |  Architecture Software Architecture Canvas |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Agile Affinity Estimation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a large batch of work needs a fast, rough estimate, it sorts items into predefined size buckets. It sorts work by value, risk, and delivery ability. The result is captured as a Bucketed Backlog, Relative Estimates, and Split Candidates. | 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. | When many tasks need to be classified quickly, it sorts them by perceived effort and similarity. It reduces the effort of fine-grained estimation for large volumes. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 30-90 min | 1-2 h | 15-45 min | 30-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-12 | 3-10 | 1-3 | 3-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Bucketed Backlog, Relative Estimates, Split Candidates | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Affinity Size Map, Grouped Estimates, Unclear Items |
Tagsno overlap | EstimationBacklogRelative sizing | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | EstimationBacklogRelative sizing |