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| Criterion |  Architecture Request for Comments |  Decision Making Constraint Analysis |  Delivery Communication Plan |  Architecture arc42 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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. | When many people need to be informed in parallel and messages would otherwise arrive unevenly or too late, a Communication Plan orders communication reliably. Channels, audiences, and cadences interlock so important information doesn't get lost. | arc42 structures architecture knowledge so teams can document system, decisions, and risks consistently. The template builds a living understanding of the architecture instead of scattered notes. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-3 Wochen vom Draft bis zur Entscheidung | 30-90 min | 45-90 min | 1-2 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | 3-20 Reviewer | 2-8 | 2-6 | 1-4 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | RFC document, Reviewer comments, Decision rationale, Follow-up ADR or tickets | Constraint List, Hard/Soft Classification, Option Impact Notes, Decision Boundaries | Communication Plan, Channel Matrix, Message Cadence | Architecture Document, Context View, Runtime View, Deployment View |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureDecisionAsyncGovernance | ConstraintsDecisionPlanningOptions | CommunicationStakeholdersDeliveryPlanning | ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication |