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| Criterion |  Architecture C4 Model |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  Operations Fishbone Diagram |
|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | The C4 Model makes a system legible across several resolution levels, from context down to code. It suits situations where different audiences need to understand the same architecture from different altitudes. | SAAM helps teams judge an architecture’s suitability for selected tasks and changes. It is particularly useful for examining modifiability and comparing architecture alternatives with clear reasoning. | When a problem has several possible contributing factors, the method sorts causes by cause areas. It prevents an initial hunch from blocking the view of other plausible drivers. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | High | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-4 h | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 30-60 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-5 | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Context Diagram, Container Diagram, Component Diagram | Domain functions mapped to components and connections, Quality attributes and evaluation criteria, Typical tasks and their effects on the architecture, Reasoned evaluation or comparison of alternatives | Fishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureCommunicationVisualization | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | Root causeQualityOperations |
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