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| Criterion |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Decision Making Decision 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 several options collide with several criteria, comparison quickly becomes subjective. A Decision Matrix makes the trade-off visible and brings weighting, criteria, and options into a shared logic. | 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 | Medium | High |
Timedifferent | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 45-90 min | 90-180 min |
Participantsdifferent | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 2-8 | 3-8 |
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 | Decision Matrix, Scoring Rationale, Selected Option | CoD Table, Prioritization Sequence |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | DecisionCriteriaScoringTradeoffs | PrioritizationDeliveryEconomicsDecision |
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