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| Criterion | ![]() Architecture C4 Model | ![]() Architecture Software Architecture Canvas | ![]() 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. | 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 | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-4 h | 1-2 h | 90-180 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-5 | 3-10 | 3-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes | GQM Table, Metric Profiles |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop | MetricsMeasurementEngineeringAlignment |
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