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| Criterion | ![]() Architecture C4 Model | ![]() Facilitation Responsibility Poker | ![]() Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) | ![]() Facilitation Storytelling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 it stays unclear who carries responsibility and who only contributes, Responsibility Poker makes the distribution of responsibility explicit. It sharpens the boundaries between weighing in, deciding, and bearing consequences. | ATAM helps teams weigh architecture decisions when quality goals compete. The team considers business goals, stakeholder expectations, and technical decisions together. The evaluation shows which risks need further investigation. | When an insight needs to have an effect, storytelling translates dry facts into a comprehensible development. It combines context, tension, and consequence into a form that people remember and pass on more easily. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-4 h | 45-90 min | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 45-120 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-5 | 3-10 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 1-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram | Responsibility Map, Role Agreements, Open Questions | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | Narrative Outline, Key Message, Story Arc |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization | RolesResponsibilityTeamFacilitation | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | CommunicationNarrativeStakeholdersFacilitation |



