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| Criterion |  Growth Golden Circle |  Systems Thinking Evaporating Cloud |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Architecture C4 Model |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | In positioning and communication, what an offering actually stands for often becomes blurred. The Golden Circle sharpens a product's inner rationale and connects purpose, approach, and offering into a clear statement. | The method makes visible why two seemingly incompatible demands arise and which assumption must be tested to resolve the conflict. | 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 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 30-60 min | 60-120 min | 15-45 min | 1-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 1-8 | 2-8 | 1-3 | 1-5 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Why Statement, Messaging Notes, Positioning Draft | Conflict Cloud, Assumption List, Breakthrough Ideas, Next Experiments | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram |
Tagsno overlap | MarketingPositioningCommunication | Theory of ConstraintsAssumptionsSystems thinking | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization |