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| Criterion | ![]() Facilitation Lean Coffee | ![]() Architecture Architecture Decision Record | ![]() Facilitation World Café | ![]() Decision Making Argument Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a group without a fixed agenda needs to get into useful conversations quickly, Lean Coffee structures the start around interests rather than a presentation. The group itself negotiates which topics get time first and which wait. | 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 group needs to connect many viewpoints in a short time, World Café creates a calm alternation between closeness and rotation. It sets thinking in motion without forcing the conversation into full-plenary rigidity. | When statements, evidence, and counterarguments get mixed up, a debate quickly loses its structure. Argument Mapping breaks a thesis down into its reasoning and makes visible what it really rests on. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 30-90 min | 15-45 min | 60-180 min | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-20 | 1-3 | 12-100+ | 1-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Prioritized Topics, Discussion Notes, Action Items | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Table Notes, Emergent Themes, Shared Questions | Argument Map, Evidence Gaps, Decision Rationale |
Tagsno overlap | FacilitationAutonomyDialogue | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | FacilitationDialogueLarge groupSensemaking | SensemakingDecisionRationale |



