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| Criterion | ![]() Knowledge Modeling PARA Method | ![]() Architecture Request for Comments | ![]() Decision Making Constraint Analysis | ![]() Architecture Architecture Decision Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 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. | When an initiative stalls, the limit often lies not in the idea but in hard or soft boundary conditions. Constraint Analysis separates these limits and shows which of them can actually be shaped. | 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 | Medium | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h Setup, laufend | 1-3 Wochen vom Draft bis zur Entscheidung | 30-90 min | 15-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1 | 3-20 Reviewer | 2-8 | 1-3 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Async | Workshop + async | Async |
Outputdifferent | PARA Structure, Project Notes, Knowledge Archive | RFC document, Reviewer comments, Decision rationale, Follow-up ADR or tickets | Constraint List, Hard/Soft Classification, Option Impact Notes, Decision Boundaries | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale |
Tagsno overlap | KnowledgeProductivityOrganization | ArchitectureDecisionAsyncGovernance | ConstraintsDecisionPlanningOptions | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance |



