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Criterion
Paper illustration of Shape Up with its method-specific working model.
Delivery
Shape Up
A hypothetical failure makes concrete risks, signals, and fitting mitigations visible.
Decision Making
Pre-Mortem
Paper illustration of Request for Comments (RFC) with its method-specific working model.
Architecture
Request for Comments
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.In early initiatives with many uncertainties, planning quickly turns too optimistic. A pre-mortem makes the expected failure visible in advance and sharpens the view of causes, gaps, and countermeasures.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.
Complexitydifferent
MediumLowMedium
Timedifferent
6 Wochen Cycle + 2 Wochen Cool-Down20–45 min1-3 Wochen vom Draft bis zur Entscheidung
Participantsdifferent
2-4 pro PitchSmall cross-functional group3-20 Reviewer
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshopAsync
Outputdifferent
Pitches, Bet-table decisions, Hill charts, Cooldown outcomesRisk list, Mitigation plan, Assumption logRFC document, Reviewer comments, Decision rationale, Follow-up ADR or tickets
Tagsno overlap
PlanningDeliveryAutonomy
RiskDecisionFailurePlanning
ArchitectureDecisionAsyncGovernance
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Often compared together

Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Paper illustration of two considered options leading to a decision record with a marked status and visible consequences.
Architecture
Architecture Decision Record
Paper illustration of an assumption matrix with prioritized test cards
Decision Making
Assumption Surfacing
Paper illustration for Communication Plan
Delivery
Communication Plan
Paper illustration for Constraint Analysis.
Decision Making
Constraint Analysis