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| Criterion | ![]() Systems Thinking Rich Picture | ![]() Architecture C4 Model | ![]() Delivery Communication Plan | ![]() 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. | 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. | 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. | 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 | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 30-90 min | 1-4 h | 45-90 min | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-10 | 1-5 | 2-6 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Rich Picture, Problem Framing Notes | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram | Communication Plan, Channel Matrix, Message Cadence | CATWOE Canvas, Root Definition, Stakeholder Perspectives, Constraints |
Tagsno overlap | Systems thinkingSoft systemsFramingVisualization | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization | CommunicationStakeholdersDeliveryPlanning | Systems thinkingFramingStakeholders |



