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| Criterion |  Knowledge Modeling IBIS |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Team Design Team Topologies Interaction Modes |  Architecture Request for Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | IBIS structures thinking about complex questions as a sequence of issues, ideas, and arguments. The method keeps discussions open without forcing them into premature consensus. | 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 several teams collaborate repeatedly, it describes the right interaction mode for each interface between them. It clarifies responsibility, interaction, and load between teams. The result is captured as an interaction heat map and pairwise agreements. | An RFC clarifies architecture context, options, and consequences. It structures technical context, alternatives, tradeoffs, open questions, and review feedback, and captures the result as an RFC document, reviewer comments, and a decision rationale. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | 15-45 min | Half day | 1-3 Wochen vom Draft bis zur Entscheidung |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 1-3 | Team-Leads plus Architecture | 3-20 Reviewer |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop | Async |
Outputdifferent | Issue Map, Positions, Argument Notes | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Interaction Heat Map, Agreements per Pair | RFC document, Reviewer comments, Decision rationale, Follow-up ADR or tickets |
Tagsno overlap | RationaleKnowledgeDecision | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | TeamAlignmentCollaborationOrganization | ArchitectureDecisionAsyncGovernance |