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Criterion
Paper illustration: scenarios and architectural decisions are connected to identified risks.
Architecture
ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)
A paper-based illustration representing Design Sprint with its core stages and visible working result.
Innovation
Design Sprint
Paper illustration of two considered options leading to a decision record with a marked status and visible consequences.
Architecture
Architecture Decision Record
Views and Beyond method illustration showing its working structure
Architecture
Views and Beyond
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 the product question is unclear and time pressure is high, the method takes a team from an open idea to a testable solution. It connects problem understanding, decision, and learning in one compact format, lowering the risk of spending a lot of energy on a mere guess.An ADR permanently records an architecture decision with context, trade-offs, and consequence. It creates continuity for later changes because the decision path stays traceable.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.
Complexitydifferent
HighHighLowMedium
Timedifferent
Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope4-5 Tage15-45 min1-3 Tage
Participantsdifferent
Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders5-81-31-4
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshopAsyncWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigationsPrototype, Test Findings, Decision RationaleADR File, Decision Log, RationaleArchitecture Views, Cross-view Notes, Rationale
Tagsno overlap
ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders
Design sprintPrototypeValidationInnovation
ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance
DocumentationStakeholdersArchitecture
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