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Criterion
Surveys method illustration showing its working structure
UX Research
Surveys
Paper illustration of Request for Comments (RFC) with its method-specific working model.
Architecture
Request for Comments
Paper illustration of two considered options leading to a decision record with a marked status and visible consequences.
Architecture
Architecture Decision Record
Paper illustration for Argument Mapping
Decision Making
Argument Mapping
Purposedifferent
When a topic needs to be validated broadly and many people can answer the same question, surveys gather structured feedback in a scalable form. Answers become comparable and segmentable instead of remaining merely anecdotal.An RFC clarifies architecture context, options, and consequences. It structures technical context, alternatives, tradeoffs, open questions, and review feedback, and captures the result as an RFC document, reviewer comments, and a decision rationale.An ADR permanently records an architecture decision with context, trade-offs, and consequence. It creates continuity for later changes because the decision path stays traceable.When statements, evidence, and counterarguments get mixed up, a debate quickly loses its structure. Argument Mapping breaks a thesis down into its reasoning and makes visible what it really rests on.
Complexitydifferent
MediumMediumLowMedium
Timedifferent
3-14 Tage1-3 Wochen vom Draft bis zur Entscheidung15-45 min1-3 h
Participantsdifferent
50+3-20 Reviewer1-31-8
Formatdifferent
AsyncAsyncAsyncWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Survey Results, Charts, Segment InsightsRFC document, Reviewer comments, Decision rationale, Follow-up ADR or ticketsADR File, Decision Log, RationaleArgument Map, Evidence Gaps, Decision Rationale
Tagsno overlap
QuantitativeResearchValidation
ArchitectureDecisionAsyncGovernance
ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance
SensemakingDecisionRationale
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