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| Criterion | ![]() Delivery Shape Up | ![]() Architecture arc42 | ![]() Architecture Request for Comments | ![]() Architecture C4 Model |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | Shape Up helps clarify scope, sequence, and delivery flow. It makes work boundaries and decisions explicit and captures results as pitches, bet-table decisions, and hill charts. | 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. | 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 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 6 Wochen Cycle + 2 Wochen Cool-Down | 1-2 Tage | 1-3 Wochen vom Draft bis zur Entscheidung | 1-4 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-4 pro Pitch | 1-4 | 3-20 Reviewer | 1-5 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Pitches, Bet-table decisions, Hill charts, Cooldown outcomes | Architecture Document, Context View, Runtime View, Deployment View | RFC document, Reviewer comments, Decision rationale, Follow-up ADR or tickets | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram |
Tagsno overlap | PlanningDeliveryAutonomy | ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication | ArchitectureDecisionAsyncGovernance | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization |



