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| Criterion | ![]() Architecture C4 Model | ![]() Business Strategy 5-Minuten VC-Check | ![]() Architecture Architecture Communication Canvas | ![]() Architecture arc42 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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 5-Minute VC Check clarifies opportunities and strategic options at the earliest idea stage. It compares problem quality, customer willingness to pay, alternatives, differentiation, and market potential, and captures the result as a VC-check note, go/sharpen/park decision, and risk list. | The Architecture Communication Canvas plans architecture communication so the right people receive the right message. The method turns technical complexity into deliberate communication design. | 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 | Low | Low | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-4 h | 5-15 min | 60-120 min | 1-2 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | 1-5 | 1-5 | 2-8 | 1-4 |
Formatsame | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram | VC-check note, Go/sharpen/park decision, Risk and assumption list, Next validation step | Communication Canvas, Stakeholder Messages, Architecture Communication Plan | Architecture Document, Context View, Runtime View, Deployment View |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization | StartupValidationCompetition | ArchitectureCommunicationStakeholdersCanvas | ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication |



