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Selected:Software Architecture CanvasA3 Problem SolvingARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)5 Whys
| Criterion |  Architecture Software Architecture Canvas |  Operations A3 Problem Solving |  Architecture ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs) |  Operations 5 Whys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | For a complex deviation with several people involved, the method bundles problem, analysis, and decision onto one page. It creates a shared working space where causes, countermeasures, and follow-up fit together. | ARID examines how well developers can work with a technical design. It focuses on a part of the system that can still be revised, between the architecture overview and the detailed specification. | For a single, hard-to-explain deviation, the method exposes the causal chain behind the visible symptom. It keeps the cause open until a controllable condition emerges instead of a mere description. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h | 45-90 min | 2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional | 15-30 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 2-5 | Designers, developers as users, and facilitation | 2-6 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes | A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis | Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisions | Root cause notes, Countermeasures |
Tagsno overlap | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop | LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations | ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks | Root causeIncidentLeanProblem solving |