View methods side by side.
Choose up to four methods. Add them using the search and share the comparison by copying its link.
| Criterion | ![]() Product Discovery Context Canvas | ![]() Architecture arc42 | ![]() Architecture Views and Beyond |
|---|---|---|---|
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. | arc42 structures architecture knowledge so teams can document system, decisions, and risks consistently. The template builds a living understanding of the architecture instead of scattered notes. | Views and Beyond organizes architecture into several views so no single diagram has to do everything at once. This makes it possible to choose the representation that fits the stakeholder's question. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | 1-2 Tage | 1-3 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 1-4 | 1-4 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Context canvas, Open questions, Shared context notes | Architecture Document, Context View, Runtime View, Deployment View | Architecture Views, Cross-view Notes, Rationale |
Tagsno overlap | ContextFramingRequirementsCanvas | ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication | DocumentationStakeholdersArchitecture |
Often compared together
Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.






