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| Criterion |  Architecture Request for Comments |  Architecture Software Architecture Canvas |  Facilitation Alignment Mapping |  Facilitation Consensus 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. | The Software Architecture Canvas reduces a system to the most important architecture decisions, constraints, and interfaces. It is useful when teams need a resilient overall picture quickly. | When several people work toward one goal but hold different mental maps, Alignment Mapping makes the discrepancies visible. It arranges goals, assumptions, and priorities so shared direction becomes verifiable. | When a group needs a solid decision without outvoting individual factions, a Consensus Workshop creates a negotiable common ground. It makes agreement, reservations, and open tensions discussable at the same time. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-3 Wochen vom Draft bis zur Entscheidung | 1-2 h | 1-2 h | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-20 Reviewer | 3-10 | 4-12 | 5-30 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | RFC document, Reviewer comments, Decision rationale, Follow-up ADR or tickets | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions | Consensus Clusters, Theme Titles, Priority Areas |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureDecisionAsyncGovernance | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation | FacilitationConsensusWorkshopAlignment |