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Selected:ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)TOWS MatrixSAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)Force Field Analysis
| Criterion |  Architecture ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs) |  Business Strategy TOWS Matrix |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  Decision Making Force Field Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | ARID examines how well developers can work with a technical design. It focuses on a part of the system that can still be revised, between the architecture overview and the detailed specification. | The TOWS Matrix connects internal strengths and weaknesses with external opportunities and threats into action-oriented strategies. It goes a step further than a pure stocktaking. | SAAM helps teams judge an architecture’s suitability for selected tasks and changes. It is particularly useful for examining modifiability and comparing architecture alternatives with clear reasoning. | In change initiatives, supporting and restraining forces sit at the table at the same time. Force Field Analysis makes these tensions explicit and shows where change can be pushed forward by strengthening or relieving. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | High | Low |
Timedifferent | 2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional | 1-2 h | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | Designers, developers as users, and facilitation | 3-10 | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 3-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Prioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisions | TOWS Matrix, Strategic Options, Priority Actions | Domain functions mapped to components and connections, Quality attributes and evaluation criteria, Typical tasks and their effects on the architecture, Reasoned evaluation or comparison of alternatives | Force Field Map, Change Levers, Risk Notes |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks | StrategyAnalysisOptions | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | ChangeDecisionStrategy |