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Selected:ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)Failure Scenario AnalysisC4 ModelArchitecture Communication Canvas
| Criterion | ![]() Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) | ![]() Engineering Failure Scenario Analysis | ![]() Architecture C4 Model | ![]() Architecture Architecture Communication Canvas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | In critical processes, it is not enough to plan only for the normal case. Failure Scenario Analysis looks at the path into failure and shows which failures, chains, and control gaps cause the most damage. | 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. | The Architecture Communication Canvas plans architecture communication so the right people receive the right message. The method turns technical complexity into deliberate communication design. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 1-3 h | 1-4 h | 60-120 min |
Participantsdifferent | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 3-8 | 1-5 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | 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 | Failure Scenarios, Risk Notes, Control Gaps, Test and Response Actions | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram | Communication Canvas, Stakeholder Messages, Architecture Communication Plan |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | FailureResilienceRisk | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization | ArchitectureCommunicationStakeholdersCanvas |



