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Selected:Software Architecture CanvasDecision MatrixTrade-off AnalysisArchitecture Communication Canvas
| Criterion |  Architecture Software Architecture Canvas |  Decision Making Decision Matrix |  Decision Making Trade-off Analysis |  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. | 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. | With limited resources, quality, speed, cost, and risk almost always compete with each other. Trade-off Analysis makes these tensions explicit and prevents decisions from producing hidden side effects. | 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 | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h | 45-90 min | 45-120 min | 60-120 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 2-8 | 2-8 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes | Decision Matrix, Scoring Rationale, Selected Option | Trade-off Matrix, Criteria List, Decision Rationale, Accepted Downsides | Communication Canvas, Stakeholder Messages, Architecture Communication Plan |
Tagsno overlap | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop | DecisionCriteriaScoringTradeoffs | TradeoffsDecisionCriteriaOptions | ArchitectureCommunicationStakeholdersCanvas |