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| Criterion | ![]() Architecture Request for Comments | ![]() Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) | ![]() Decision Making Cynefin Workshop |
|---|---|---|---|
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. | SAAM helps teams judge an architecture’s suitability for selected tasks and changes. It is particularly useful for examining modifiability and comparing architecture alternatives with clear reasoning. | When problems are unclear, chaotic, or only seemingly familiar, standard recipes fall short. A Cynefin Workshop sorts situations by the nature of their problem and connects them with matching action logic. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-3 Wochen vom Draft bis zur Entscheidung | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 60-180 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-20 Reviewer | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 4-20 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | RFC document, Reviewer comments, Decision rationale, Follow-up ADR or tickets | Domain functions mapped to components and connections, Quality attributes and evaluation criteria, Typical tasks and their effects on the architecture, Reasoned evaluation or comparison of alternatives | Cynefin Map, Domain-specific Actions, Sensemaking Notes |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureDecisionAsyncGovernance | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | ComplexitySensemakingDecision |
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