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Criterion
Paper illustration of an assumption matrix with prioritized test cards
Decision Making
Assumption Surfacing
Paper illustration of Request for Comments (RFC) with its method-specific working model.
Architecture
Request for Comments
Paper illustration for Trade-off Analysis.
Decision Making
Trade-off Analysis
Purposedifferent
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.An RFC clarifies architecture context, options, and consequences. It structures technical context, alternatives, tradeoffs, open questions, and review feedback, and captures the result as an RFC document, reviewer comments, and a decision rationale.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.
Complexitydifferent
LowMediumMedium
Timedifferent
45-90 min1-3 Wochen vom Draft bis zur Entscheidung45-120 min
Participantsdifferent
2-83-20 Reviewer2-8
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncAsyncWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning PlanRFC document, Reviewer comments, Decision rationale, Follow-up ADR or ticketsTrade-off Matrix, Criteria List, Decision Rationale, Accepted Downsides
Tags1 shared
AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery
ArchitectureDecisionAsyncGovernance
TradeoffsDecisionCriteriaOptions
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Often compared together

Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Paper illustration: scenarios and architectural decisions are connected to identified risks.
Architecture
ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)
Paper illustration of a decision table with criteria rows, weighted ratings, and a narrowly leading alternative.
Decision Making
Decision Matrix
Paper illustration of two considered options leading to a decision record with a marked status and visible consequences.
Architecture
Architecture Decision Record
Paper illustration of a calm four-quadrant Assumption Map with hypothesis cards and emphasis on important assumptions with little evidence.
Product Discovery
Assumption Mapping