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| Criterion | ![]() Knowledge Modeling PARA Method | ![]() Architecture Architecture Decision Record | ![]() Decision Making Trade-off Analysis | ![]() Architecture Request for Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | The PARA Method organizes knowledge into Projects, Areas, Resources, and Archives. It creates order when digital notes, files, and tasks no longer cleanly fit current work. | 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. | With limited resources, quality, speed, cost, and risk almost always compete with each other. Trade-off Analysis makes these tensions explicit and prevents decisions from producing hidden side effects. | 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 | Medium | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h Setup, laufend | 15-45 min | 45-120 min | 1-3 Wochen vom Draft bis zur Entscheidung |
Participantsdifferent | 1 | 1-3 | 2-8 | 3-20 Reviewer |
Formatdifferent | Async | Async | Workshop + async | Async |
Outputdifferent | PARA Structure, Project Notes, Knowledge Archive | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Trade-off Matrix, Criteria List, Decision Rationale, Accepted Downsides | RFC document, Reviewer comments, Decision rationale, Follow-up ADR or tickets |
Tagsno overlap | KnowledgeProductivityOrganization | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | TradeoffsDecisionCriteriaOptions | ArchitectureDecisionAsyncGovernance |



