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| Criterion |  Facilitation Mind Mapping |  Decision Making Argument Mapping |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |
|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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. | 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 | Low | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 1-3 h | 15-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-10 | 1-8 | 1-3 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Async |
Outputdifferent | Mind Map, Topic Clusters, Open Questions | Argument Map, Evidence Gaps, Decision Rationale | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale |
Tagsno overlap | BrainstormingIdeasMappingStructureFacilitation | SensemakingDecisionRationale | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance |
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