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| Criterion |  Architecture arc42 |  Operations After-Action Review |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Architecture Views and Beyond |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | After missions or project phases with unclear outcomes, the method makes visible what actually happened and what can be learned from it. It separates course, effect, and causes so experience turns into solid improvement. | 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 | 1-2 Tage | 20-45 min | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 1-3 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | 1-4 | 3-12 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 1-4 |
Formatsame | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Architecture Document, Context View, Runtime View, Deployment View | Lessons learned, Action items, Event summary | 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 | ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication | LearningOperationsImprovement | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | DocumentationStakeholdersArchitecture |