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| Criterion |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Decision Making Trade-off Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | An ADR permanently records an architecture decision with context, trade-offs, and consequence. It creates continuity for later changes because the decision path stays traceable. | 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 | High | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 15-45 min | 45-120 min |
Participantsdifferent | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 1-3 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Trade-off Matrix, Criteria List, Decision Rationale, Accepted Downsides |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | TradeoffsDecisionCriteriaOptions |
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