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| Criterion |  Facilitation Mind Mapping |  Architecture Risk Storming |  Facilitation Alignment Mapping |  Architecture Software Architecture Canvas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | Helps clarify architecture context, options, and consequences in concrete terms. It organizes technical context, alternatives, and consequences. The result is captured as an Annotated Diagram, a Prioritized Risk List, and an Action Backlog. | When several people work toward one goal but hold different mental maps, Alignment Mapping makes the discrepancies visible. It arranges goals, assumptions, and priorities so shared direction becomes verifiable. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 60-90 min | 1-2 h | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 1-10 | 4-12 | 4-12 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Mind Map, Topic Clusters, Open Questions | Annotated Diagram, Prioritized Risk List, Action Backlog | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes |
Tagsno overlap | BrainstormingIdeasMappingStructureFacilitation | RiskArchitectureWorkshopValidation | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop |