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Selected:ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)SWOT AnalysisLASR (Lightweight Approach for Software Reviews)Alignment Mapping
| Criterion |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Business Strategy SWOT Analysis |  Architecture LASR (Lightweight Approach for Software Reviews) |  Facilitation Alignment 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. | SWOT Analysis arranges strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats into a compact picture of the situation. It keeps internal capabilities and external influences separate before strategic options emerge from them. | LASR helps development teams identify where their software falls short of important quality goals and which improvements to consider. A small group with existing system knowledge can make an initial assessment and investigate open questions in more detail. | When several people work toward one goal but hold different mental maps, Alignment Mapping makes the discrepancies visible. It arranges goals, assumptions, and priorities so shared direction becomes verifiable. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Low | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 30-60 min | 3–4 h for initial assessment; preparation and deeper analysis additional | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 3-12 | 1 or a small team; particularly suitable for 3–4 people | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | SWOT matrix, Strategic options, Action list | Lean Mission Statement describing the software’s purpose, Prioritized quality goals and evaluation criteria, Risks and estimated gaps against quality goals, More closely examined findings and open checks | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | StrategyAnalysisMarketPositioning | ArchitectureQualityRiskAssessmentLean | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation |