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| Criterion | ![]() Systems Thinking Rich Picture | ![]() Architecture Architecture Decision Record | ![]() Architecture Request for Comments | ![]() Systems Thinking CATWOE Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | A Rich Picture brings an unclear situation onto a shared drawing. It captures actors, tensions, information flows, and blind spots before the team jumps to solutions too early. | 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. | 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. | CATWOE structures a problem from six viewpoints and prevents too narrow a view of the situation. Different experiences of the system become comparably discussable this way. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 30-90 min | 15-45 min | 1-3 Wochen vom Draft bis zur Entscheidung | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-10 | 1-3 | 3-20 Reviewer | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Async | Async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Rich Picture, Problem Framing Notes | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | RFC document, Reviewer comments, Decision rationale, Follow-up ADR or tickets | CATWOE Canvas, Root Definition, Stakeholder Perspectives, Constraints |
Tagsno overlap | Systems thinkingSoft systemsFramingVisualization | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | ArchitectureDecisionAsyncGovernance | Systems thinkingFramingStakeholders |



