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| Criterion |  Architecture Software Architecture Canvas |  Architecture C4 Model |  Innovation Lotus Blossom |  Architecture Architecture Communication Canvas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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. | 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. | The Architecture Communication Canvas plans architecture communication so the right people receive the right message. The method turns technical complexity into deliberate communication design. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h | 1-4 h | 45-90 min | 60-120 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 1-5 | 3-10 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram | Lotus Diagram, Idea Themes, Shortlist | Communication Canvas, Stakeholder Messages, Architecture Communication Plan |
Tagsno overlap | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization | BrainstormingIdeationCreativityDivergenceWorkshop | ArchitectureCommunicationStakeholdersCanvas |