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Selected:Architecture Decision RecordAcceptance Criteria WorkshopThree AmigosATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)
| Criterion |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Agile Acceptance Criteria Workshop |  Agile Three Amigos |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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 a story needs clear checkpoints before implementation, it sharpens expectation and scope together. It sorts work by value, risk, and delivery ability. The result is captured as Acceptance Criteria and a Story Update. | When story, test, and implementation could drift apart, it brings business perspective, engineering, and quality together early. It prevents a story from being read differently only late in the process. | 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 | Low | Low | Low | High |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 20-40 min pro Story | 15-30 min | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope |
Participantsdifferent | 1-3 | 3-6 | 3 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Acceptance Criteria, Story Update | Clarified Story, Test Examples, Open Questions | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | AgileRequirementsRefinementBehavior-Driven Development | CollaborationBehavior-Driven DevelopmentQualityRefinement | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders |