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| Criterion |  Architecture Software Architecture Canvas |  Architecture Views and Beyond |  Architecture Architecture Communication Canvas |  Architecture arc42 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | Views and Beyond organizes architecture into several views so no single diagram has to do everything at once. This makes it possible to choose the representation that fits the stakeholder's question. | The Architecture Communication Canvas plans architecture communication so the right people receive the right message. The method turns technical complexity into deliberate communication design. | arc42 structures architecture knowledge so teams can document system, decisions, and risks consistently. The template builds a living understanding of the architecture instead of scattered notes. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h | 1-3 Tage | 60-120 min | 1-2 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 1-4 | 2-8 | 1-4 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes | Architecture Views, Cross-view Notes, Rationale | Communication Canvas, Stakeholder Messages, Architecture Communication Plan | Architecture Document, Context View, Runtime View, Deployment View |
Tags1 shared | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop | DocumentationStakeholdersArchitecture | ArchitectureCommunicationStakeholdersCanvas | ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication |