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| Criterion |  Product Discovery Context Canvas |  Agile Affinity Estimation |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Architecture Architecture Inception Canvas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When an environment of users, systems, and constraints is hard to grasp, it puts the context compactly on the table. It creates a clear reading of influence, boundary, and dependency. | When many tasks need to be classified quickly, it sorts them by perceived effort and similarity. It reduces the effort of fine-grained estimation for large volumes. | An ADR permanently records an architecture decision with context, trade-offs, and consequence. It creates continuity for later changes because the decision path stays traceable. | The Architecture Inception Canvas bundles the first architecture questions into a compact decision picture. It fits when an initiative is still in motion but still needs clear guardrails. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | 30-90 min | 15-45 min | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 3-12 | 1-3 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Context canvas, Open questions, Shared context notes | Affinity Size Map, Grouped Estimates, Unclear Items | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Inception Canvas, Risks, Goal List, Open Questions |
Tagsno overlap | ContextFramingRequirementsCanvas | EstimationBacklogRelative sizing | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | AlignmentArchitectureCanvas |