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| Criterion |  Architecture Software Architecture Canvas |  Innovation Brainstorming |  Architecture Architecture Communication Canvas |  Innovation Lotus Blossom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | When a team faces an open question with many obvious directions, the method first creates breadth instead of premature commitment. It separates idea flow from evaluation and makes lines of thought visible, creating a pool for selection and further development. | The Architecture Communication Canvas plans architecture communication so the right people receive the right message. The method turns technical complexity into deliberate communication design. | When a central question feels too large, the method breaks it into neighboring topic fields with their own depth of ideation. It holds structure and openness at the same time, so adjacent perspectives don't get lost. This grows an idea space out of a core problem. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h | 30-60 min | 60-120 min | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 4-12 | 2-8 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes | Idea pool, Theme clusters, Shortlist | Communication Canvas, Stakeholder Messages, Architecture Communication Plan | Lotus Diagram, Idea Themes, Shortlist |
Tagsno overlap | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop | BrainstormingIdeationCreativityWorkshopDivergence | ArchitectureCommunicationStakeholdersCanvas | BrainstormingIdeationCreativityDivergenceWorkshop |