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Selected:IBISARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)Software Architecture CanvasArchitecture Decision Record
| Criterion | ![]() Knowledge Modeling IBIS | ![]() Architecture ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs) | ![]() Architecture Software Architecture Canvas | ![]() Architecture Architecture Decision Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | ARID examines how well developers can work with a technical design. It focuses on a part of the system that can still be revised, between the architecture overview and the detailed specification. | The Software Architecture Canvas reduces a system to the most important architecture decisions, constraints, and interfaces. It is useful when teams need a resilient overall picture quickly. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | 2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional | 1-2 h | 15-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | Designers, developers as users, and facilitation | 3-10 | 1-3 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Async |
Outputdifferent | Issue Map, Positions, Argument Notes | Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisions | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale |
Tagsno overlap | RationaleKnowledgeDecision | ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance |



