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| Criterion |  Decision Making Trade-off Analysis |  Architecture C4 Model |  Decision Making Constraint Analysis |  Delivery Communication Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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 C4 Model makes a system legible across several resolution levels, from context down to code. It suits situations where different audiences need to understand the same architecture from different altitudes. | When an initiative stalls, the limit often lies not in the idea but in hard or soft boundary conditions. Constraint Analysis separates these limits and shows which of them can actually be shaped. | When many people need to be informed in parallel and messages would otherwise arrive unevenly or too late, a Communication Plan orders communication reliably. Channels, audiences, and cadences interlock so important information doesn't get lost. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 45-120 min | 1-4 h | 30-90 min | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 1-5 | 2-8 | 2-6 |
Formatsame | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Trade-off Matrix, Criteria List, Decision Rationale, Accepted Downsides | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram | Constraint List, Hard/Soft Classification, Option Impact Notes, Decision Boundaries | Communication Plan, Channel Matrix, Message Cadence |
Tagsno overlap | TradeoffsDecisionCriteriaOptions | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization | ConstraintsDecisionPlanningOptions | CommunicationStakeholdersDeliveryPlanning |