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| Criterion |  Architecture Software Architecture Canvas |  Decision Making Constraint Analysis |  Decision Making DACI |  Decision Making Decision Rights 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. | When an initiative stalls, the limit often lies not in the idea but in hard or soft boundary conditions. Constraint Analysis separates these limits and shows which of them can actually be shaped. | In cross-functional decisions, responsibilities quickly blur between approval, influence, and execution. DACI arranges these roles so decision pressure, contribution, and information stay cleanly separated. | In organizations with many stakeholders, it often blurs who actually decides and who is merely consulted. It separates options, evaluation criteria, and open risks. The result is captured as a Decision Rights matrix and an agreement. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h | 30-90 min | 30-60 min | 90-180 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 2-8 | 2-10 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes | Constraint List, Hard/Soft Classification, Option Impact Notes, Decision Boundaries | DACI Matrix, Decision Owner, Decision Log | Decision Rights Matrix, Agreement |
Tagsno overlap | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop | ConstraintsDecisionPlanningOptions | DecisionRolesGovernanceAlignment | DecisionGovernanceAlignmentResponsibility |