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| Criterion |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  UX Research Card Sorting |  Decision Making Risk Matrix |  Delivery Cost of Delay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | When content only makes sense internally and users can't find the structure again, card sorting exposes their mental order. Terms, groups, and naming are then aligned with the target group's expectations. | 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. | Helps clarify scope, order, and delivery flow in concrete terms. It makes work, constraints, and sequence manageable. The result is captured as a Cost of Delay table and prioritization sequence. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Low | Low | High |
Timedifferent | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 20-45 min | 30-60 min | 90-180 min |
Participantsdifferent | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | Based on research question | 3-10 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | 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 | Content groups, Label set, IA hypotheses | Risk Matrix, Top Risk List | CoD Table, Prioritization Sequence |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | Information architectureNavigationStructure | RiskDecisionPrioritizationAssessment | PrioritizationDeliveryEconomicsDecision |