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| Criterion |  Product Strategy Impact Mapping |  Architecture ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs) |  Architecture C4 Model |  Business Strategy GAP Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a goal needs to be connected to several possible paths, it shows chains of impact instead of feature lists. It connects business goal, behavior change, and measures. | 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 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. | GAP Analysis compares the current state with a target picture and makes the distance manageable. It becomes useful when, ahead of new initiatives, it must become clear which capabilities, processes, or resources are missing. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | 2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional | 1-4 h | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | Designers, developers as users, and facilitation | 1-5 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Impact Map, Outcome Hypotheses, Delivery Options | Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisions | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram | Gap Matrix, Action Plan, Risk Notes |
Tagsno overlap | OutcomesStrategyBehaviorPlanning | ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization | StrategyAnalysisPlanning |