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Selected:Request for CommentsARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)C4 ModelArchitecture Decision Record
| Criterion |  Architecture Request for Comments |  Architecture ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs) |  Architecture C4 Model |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | ARID examines how well developers can work with a technical design. It focuses on a part of the system that can still be revised, between the architecture overview and the detailed specification. | The C4 Model makes a system legible across several resolution levels, from context down to code. It suits situations where different audiences need to understand the same architecture from different altitudes. | 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 Wochen vom Draft bis zur Entscheidung | 2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional | 1-4 h | 15-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-20 Reviewer | Designers, developers as users, and facilitation | 1-5 | 1-3 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Async |
Outputdifferent | RFC document, Reviewer comments, Decision rationale, Follow-up ADR or tickets | Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisions | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale |
Tags1 shared | ArchitectureDecisionAsyncGovernance | ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance |