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Selected:Assumption MappingTest CardATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)Assumption Surfacing
| Criterion | ![]() Product Discovery Assumption Mapping | ![]() Product Discovery Test Card | ![]() Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) | ![]() Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When assumptions still sit unordered in the room, it weighs uncertainty against leverage. It makes visible which hypotheses should be checked first. | The Test Card turns a critical assumption into a testable claim and specifies in advance which result counts as success. | 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. | Plans often contain assumptions that were never openly stated and remain dangerous precisely because of that. Assumption Surfacing makes these silent premises visible and prioritizes which of them carry the initiative or could sink it. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | High | Low |
Timedifferent | 45-60 min | 20-35 min | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 1-5 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 2-8 |
Formatsame | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Assumption map, Test backlog, Risk ranking | Test Card with a pre-set threshold | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan |
Tagsno overlap | AssumptionsRiskExperimentsValidation | ExperimentsValidationDiscoveryHypothesis | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery |



