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Selected:C4 ModelSoftware Architecture CanvasARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)Architecture Communication Canvas
| Criterion |  Architecture C4 Model |  Architecture Software Architecture Canvas |  Architecture ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs) |  Architecture Architecture Communication Canvas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 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. | ARID examines how well developers can work with a technical design. It focuses on a part of the system that can still be revised, between the architecture overview and the detailed specification. | The Architecture Communication Canvas plans architecture communication so the right people receive the right message. The method turns technical complexity into deliberate communication design. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-4 h | 1-2 h | 2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional | 60-120 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-5 | 3-10 | Designers, developers as users, and facilitation | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes | Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisions | Communication Canvas, Stakeholder Messages, Architecture Communication Plan |
Tags1 shared | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop | ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks | ArchitectureCommunicationStakeholdersCanvas |