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| Criterion | ![]() Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) | ![]() Facilitation World Café | ![]() Facilitation Alignment Mapping | ![]() Facilitation Stakeholder 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. | When a group needs to connect many viewpoints in a short time, World Café creates a calm alternation between closeness and rotation. It sets thinking in motion without forcing the conversation into full-plenary rigidity. | 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. | When an initiative depends on many people, interests, and power dynamics, Stakeholder Mapping systematically orders the environment. It shows who influences, who is affected, and where relationship management or safeguarding matters first. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 60-180 min | 1-2 h | 60–90 min |
Participantsdifferent | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 12-100+ | 4-12 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | 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 | Table Notes, Emergent Themes, Shared Questions | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions | Stakeholder Map, Engagement Plan, Risk Notes |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | FacilitationDialogueLarge groupSensemaking | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation | StakeholdersAlignmentFacilitationChange |



