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| Criterion |  Product Discovery Context Canvas |  Architecture C4 Model |  Systems Thinking CATWOE Analysis |  Architecture Architecture Communication 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. | 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. | CATWOE structures a problem from six viewpoints and prevents too narrow a view of the situation. Different experiences of the system become comparably discussable this way. | 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 | 45-90 min | 1-4 h | 45-90 min | 60-120 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 1-5 | 3-8 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Context canvas, Open questions, Shared context notes | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram | CATWOE Canvas, Root Definition, Stakeholder Perspectives, Constraints | Communication Canvas, Stakeholder Messages, Architecture Communication Plan |
Tagsno overlap | ContextFramingRequirementsCanvas | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization | Systems thinkingFramingStakeholders | ArchitectureCommunicationStakeholdersCanvas |