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Selected:ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)Opportunity Solution TreeAssumption MappingAssumption Surfacing
| Criterion |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Product Discovery Opportunity Solution Tree |  Product Discovery Assumption Mapping |  Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 discovery keeps swinging between goals, ideas, and learning loops, it creates clear steering logic. It connects the desired outcome, opportunities, and experiments into a legible structure. | When assumptions still sit unordered in the room, it weighs uncertainty against leverage. It makes visible which hypotheses should be checked first. | Plans often contain assumptions that were never openly stated and remain dangerous precisely because of that. Assumption Surfacing makes these silent premises visible and prioritizes which of them carry the initiative or could sink it. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 1-2 h Setup, laufend | 45-60 min | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 2-6 | 2-8 | 2-8 |
Formatsame | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | 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 | Opportunity Solution Tree, Experiment Backlog, Learning Log | Assumption map, Test backlog, Risk ranking | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | DiscoveryOutcomesExperimentsOpportunity | AssumptionsRiskExperimentsValidation | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery |