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| Criterion |  Facilitation Mind Mapping |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Architecture arc42 |  Architecture Request for Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a topic is still unclear and too many thoughts surface at once, Mind Mapping creates an open surface for ordering them. It makes connections, subtopics, and starting points visible without fixing them too early. | 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. | arc42 structures architecture knowledge so teams can document system, decisions, and risks consistently. The template builds a living understanding of the architecture instead of scattered notes. | 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 | Low | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 15-45 min | 1-2 Tage | 1-3 Wochen vom Draft bis zur Entscheidung |
Participantsdifferent | 1-10 | 1-3 | 1-4 | 3-20 Reviewer |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop + async | Async |
Outputdifferent | Mind Map, Topic Clusters, Open Questions | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Architecture Document, Context View, Runtime View, Deployment View | RFC document, Reviewer comments, Decision rationale, Follow-up ADR or tickets |
Tagsno overlap | BrainstormingIdeasMappingStructureFacilitation | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication | ArchitectureDecisionAsyncGovernance |