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| Criterion |  Architecture Software Architecture Canvas |  Decision Making Decision Matrix |  Facilitation Alignment Mapping |  Architecture Architecture Inception 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. | When several options collide with several criteria, comparison quickly becomes subjective. A Decision Matrix makes the trade-off visible and brings weighting, criteria, and options into a shared logic. | 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. | The Architecture Inception Canvas bundles the first architecture questions into a compact decision picture. It fits when an initiative is still in motion but still needs clear guardrails. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h | 45-90 min | 1-2 h | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 2-8 | 4-12 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes | Decision Matrix, Scoring Rationale, Selected Option | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions | Inception Canvas, Risks, Goal List, Open Questions |
Tagsno overlap | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop | DecisionCriteriaScoringTradeoffs | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation | AlignmentArchitectureCanvas |