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Selected:Architecture Decision RecordContext CanvasATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)Views and Beyond
| Criterion |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Product Discovery Context Canvas |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Architecture Views and Beyond |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 an environment of users, systems, and constraints is hard to grasp, it puts the context compactly on the table. It creates a clear reading of influence, boundary, and dependency. | 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. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 15-45 min | 45-90 min | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 1-3 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | 1-3 | 3-10 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 1-4 |
Formatdifferent | Async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Context canvas, Open questions, Shared context notes | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | Architecture Views, Cross-view Notes, Rationale |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | ContextFramingRequirementsCanvas | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | DocumentationStakeholdersArchitecture |