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| Criterion |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Architecture C4 Model |  Facilitation Alignment 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. | The C4 Model makes a system legible across several resolution levels, from context down to code. It suits situations where different audiences need to understand the same architecture from different altitudes. | When several people work toward one goal but hold different mental maps, Alignment Mapping makes the discrepancies visible. It arranges goals, assumptions, and priorities so shared direction becomes verifiable. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 1-4 h | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 1-5 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | 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 | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation |
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