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| Criterion |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Systems Thinking Future Reality Tree |  Product Discovery Assumption 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. | A Future Reality Tree shows how desired actions are meant to lead to a better system state. The method checks whether a path of change holds together logically before time flows into implementation. | When assumptions still sit unordered in the room, it weighs uncertainty against leverage. It makes visible which hypotheses should be checked first. |
Complexitydifferent | High | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 2-4 h | 45-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 3-8 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | 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 | Future Reality Tree, Negative Branches, Assumption List, Improved Injections | Assumption map, Test backlog, Risk ranking |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | Theory of ConstraintsSystems thinkingChange | AssumptionsRiskExperimentsValidation |
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