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Selected:Architecture Inception CanvasATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)Trade-off AnalysisDecision Matrix
| Criterion |  Architecture Architecture Inception Canvas |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Decision Making Trade-off Analysis |  Decision Making Decision Matrix |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | The Architecture Inception Canvas bundles the first architecture questions into a compact decision picture. It fits when an initiative is still in motion but still needs clear guardrails. | 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. | 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. | When several options collide with several criteria, comparison quickly becomes subjective. A Decision Matrix makes the trade-off visible and brings weighting, criteria, and options into a shared logic. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | High | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 45-120 min | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 2-8 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Inception Canvas, Risks, Goal List, 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 | Trade-off Matrix, Criteria List, Decision Rationale, Accepted Downsides | Decision Matrix, Scoring Rationale, Selected Option |
Tagsno overlap | AlignmentArchitectureCanvas | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | TradeoffsDecisionCriteriaOptions | DecisionCriteriaScoringTradeoffs |