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Selected:ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)Architecture Inception CanvasViews and BeyondSoftware Architecture Canvas
| Criterion |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Architecture Architecture Inception Canvas |  Architecture Views and Beyond |  Architecture Software Architecture Canvas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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. | Views and Beyond organizes architecture into several views so no single diagram has to do everything at once. This makes it possible to choose the representation that fits the stakeholder's question. | The Software Architecture Canvas reduces a system to the most important architecture decisions, constraints, and interfaces. It is useful when teams need a resilient overall picture quickly. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Low | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 1-2 h | 1-3 Tage | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 3-8 | 1-4 | 3-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | Inception Canvas, Risks, Goal List, Open Questions | Architecture Views, Cross-view Notes, Rationale | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes |
Tags1 shared | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | AlignmentArchitectureCanvas | DocumentationStakeholdersArchitecture | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop |