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Selected:ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)Assumption SurfacingRisk MatrixAssumption Mapping
| Criterion |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |  Decision Making Risk Matrix |  Product Discovery Assumption Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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. | When a project faces many possible disruptions, it quickly becomes unclear which risks deserve attention first. It separates options, evaluation criteria, and open risks. The result is captured as a Risk Matrix and a Top Risk List. | When assumptions still sit unordered in the room, it weighs uncertainty against leverage. It makes visible which hypotheses should be checked first. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Low | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 45-90 min | 30-60 min | 45-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 2-8 | 3-10 | 2-8 |
Formatsame | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + 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 | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan | Risk Matrix, Top Risk List | Assumption map, Test backlog, Risk ranking |
Tags1 shared | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery | RiskDecisionPrioritizationAssessment | AssumptionsRiskExperimentsValidation |