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Selected:Dot EstimationArchitecture Decision RecordFishbone DiagramLASR (Lightweight Approach for Software Reviews)
| Criterion |  Facilitation Dot Estimation |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |  Architecture LASR (Lightweight Approach for Software Reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When size or effort can only be estimated roughly, Dot Estimation condenses the group's experience into a quick range. It turns individual contributions into a visible selection. The result is captured as an Effort Heatmap, Risk Signals, and Discussion Targets. | 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. | When a problem has several possible contributing factors, the method sorts causes by cause areas. It prevents an initial hunch from blocking the view of other plausible drivers. | LASR helps development teams identify where their software falls short of important quality goals and which improvements to consider. A small group with existing system knowledge can make an initial assessment and investigate open questions in more detail. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 5-20 min | 15-45 min | 30-60 min | 3–4 h for initial assessment; preparation and deeper analysis additional |
Participantsdifferent | 3-20 | 1-3 | 2-8 | 1 or a small team; particularly suitable for 3–4 people |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Effort Heatmap, Risk Signals, Discussion Targets | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog | Lean Mission Statement describing the software’s purpose, Prioritized quality goals and evaluation criteria, Risks and estimated gaps against quality goals, More closely examined findings and open checks |
Tagsno overlap | EstimationEffortRisk | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | Root causeQualityOperations | ArchitectureQualityRiskAssessmentLean |