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Selected:Views and Beyondarc42LASR (Lightweight Approach for Software Reviews)Architecture Decision Record
| Criterion |  Architecture Views and Beyond |  Architecture arc42 |  Architecture LASR (Lightweight Approach for Software Reviews) |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | 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. | LASR helps development teams identify where their software falls short of important quality goals and which improvements to consider. A small group with existing system knowledge can make an initial assessment and investigate open questions in more detail. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-3 Tage | 1-2 Tage | 3–4 h for initial assessment; preparation and deeper analysis additional | 15-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-4 | 1-4 | 1 or a small team; particularly suitable for 3–4 people | 1-3 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Async |
Outputdifferent | Architecture Views, Cross-view Notes, Rationale | Architecture Document, Context View, Runtime View, Deployment View | Lean Mission Statement describing the software’s purpose, Prioritized quality goals and evaluation criteria, Risks and estimated gaps against quality goals, More closely examined findings and open checks | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale |
Tags1 shared | DocumentationStakeholdersArchitecture | ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication | ArchitectureQualityRiskAssessmentLean | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance |