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| Criterion | ![]() Architecture Software Architecture Canvas | ![]() Architecture Architecture Decision Record | ![]() Product Discovery Assumption Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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. | When assumptions still sit unordered in the room, it weighs uncertainty against leverage. It makes visible which hypotheses should be checked first. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h | 15-45 min | 45-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 1-3 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Assumption map, Test backlog, Risk ranking |
Tagsno overlap | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | AssumptionsRiskExperimentsValidation |
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