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| Criterion | ![]() Architecture C4 Model | ![]() Agile Mad Sad Glad | ![]() Agile Starfish Retrospective | ![]() Agile Sailboat Retrospective |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | When a team's or workshop's mood needs to become readable, it structures emotional signals with little setup. It makes strain, relief, and sources of energy tangible. | When improvement options need to be sorted more finely than just start and stop, it brings observations into clear kinds of action. This makes visible what should be done more, less, newly, or continued. | When a team wants to read momentum, brakes, and risks together, it offers an easily understandable picture of the situation. It makes drive, obstacles, and headwind visible in the same picture. |
Complexitysame | Low | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-4 h | 30-60 min | 45-90 min | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-5 | 3-10 | 4-12 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram | Emotion Board, Themes, Action Items | Starfish Board, Practice Changes, Experiments | Sailboat Board, Risks, Improvement Actions |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization | RetrospectiveTeamReflection | RetrospectiveImprovementExperimentsTeam | RetrospectiveTeamImprovement |



