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| Criterion | ![]() Architecture Software Architecture Canvas | ![]() Facilitation Decision Jam | ![]() Facilitation Six Thinking Hats | ![]() Facilitation Alignment 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 a decision is stuck, Decision Jam loosens the knot through structured separation of problem, idea, and selection. The format creates movement without jumping prematurely at the first seemingly elegant answer. | When a topic gets stuck too quickly in the same thinking mode, Six Thinking Hats deliberately separates the perspectives. This means facts, risks, creativity, and emotional signals get worked through one after another instead of mixed together. | When several people work toward one goal but hold different mental maps, Alignment Mapping makes the discrepancies visible. It arranges goals, assumptions, and priorities so shared direction becomes verifiable. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h | 60-90 min | 45-90 min | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 4-10 | 4-12 | 4-12 |
Formatsame | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes | Problem Cluster, Prioritized Challenge, Experiment | Perspective Notes, Decision Inputs, Action Items | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions |
Tagsno overlap | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop | FacilitationDecisionProblem solvingWorkshop | FacilitationOptionsDecision | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation |



