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| Criterion | ![]() Facilitation Timeline | ![]() Architecture Architecture Inception Canvas | ![]() Facilitation Alignment Mapping | ![]() Architecture Software Architecture Canvas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a project, incident, or change process is only remembered in fragments, Timeline brings the sequence back into a readable form. It makes turning points, precursors, and after-effects recognizable over the course of time. | 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. | 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 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 30-90 min | 1-2 h | 1-2 h | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-12 | 3-8 | 4-12 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Timeline, Milestones, Insight Notes | Inception Canvas, Risks, Goal List, Open Questions | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes |
Tagsno overlap | TimelineFacilitationSequence | AlignmentArchitectureCanvas | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop |



