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Selected:ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)RAID LogAssumption SurfacingArchitecture Decision Record
| Criterion |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Delivery RAID Log |  Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | Helps clarify scope, sequence, and delivery flow in concrete terms. It makes work, boundaries, and order steerable. The result is captured as a RAID Log and a source for status reporting. | 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. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Low | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 30 min Setup, dann laufend | 45-90 min | 15-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 1-3 maintaining, briefing for everyone | 2-8 | 1-3 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop + async | 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 | RAID Log, Status Report Source | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | RiskTrackingStakeholdersGovernance | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance |