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Criterion
Paper illustration for Accountability Ladder
Operations
Accountability Ladder
Paper illustration of a calibrated five-by-five risk matrix with response cards.
Decision Making
Risk Matrix
Paper illustration for Trade-off Analysis.
Decision Making
Trade-off Analysis
Paper illustration: scenarios and architectural decisions are connected to identified risks.
Architecture
ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)
Purposedifferent
With defensive reactions to problems, the method shifts the view from justification to ownership. It makes visible which reaction stage a person or team is currently stuck on.When a project faces many possible disruptions, it quickly becomes unclear which risks deserve attention first. It separates options, evaluation criteria, and open risks. The result is captured as a Risk Matrix and a Top Risk List.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.ATAM helps teams weigh architecture decisions when quality goals compete. The team considers business goals, stakeholder expectations, and technical decisions together. The evaluation shows which risks need further investigation.
Complexitydifferent
LowLowMediumHigh
Timedifferent
20-45 min30-60 min45-120 minSeveral meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope
Participantsdifferent
1-83-102-8Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders
Formatsame
Workshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Ownership Reflection, Action Commitment, Coaching NotesRisk Matrix, Top Risk ListTrade-off Matrix, Criteria List, Decision Rationale, Accepted DownsidesPrioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations
Tagsno overlap
ResponsibilityLeadershipTeam
RiskDecisionPrioritizationAssessment
TradeoffsDecisionCriteriaOptions
ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders
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