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| Criterion |  Architecture C4 Model |  Architecture Software Architecture Canvas |  Product Strategy Counter Metrics |  Engineering Goal Question Metric |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | When a headline metric could mask side effects, it adds guardrail signals against unwanted outcomes. It connects customer value, product logic, and decision priorities. The result is captured as a counter-metric list and guardrail definitions. | Helps clarify technical problems, hypotheses, and next steps in concrete terms. It breaks a technical problem into testable parts. The result is captured as a GQM table and metric briefs. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-4 h | 1-2 h | 30-60 min | 90-180 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-5 | 3-10 | 2-6 | 3-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes | Counter Metric List, Guardrail Definitions | GQM Table, Metric Profiles |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop | MetricsMeasurementStrategyExperiments | MetricsMeasurementEngineeringAlignment |