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Selected:Communication PlanArchitecture Decision RecordSAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)Views and Beyond
| Criterion |  Delivery Communication Plan |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  Architecture Views and Beyond |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When many people need to be informed in parallel and messages would otherwise arrive unevenly or too late, a Communication Plan orders communication reliably. Channels, audiences, and cadences interlock so important information doesn't get lost. | 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. | 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. | Views and Beyond organizes architecture into several views so no single diagram has to do everything at once. This makes it possible to choose the representation that fits the stakeholder's question. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | 15-45 min | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 1-3 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | 2-6 | 1-3 | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 1-4 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Communication Plan, Channel Matrix, Message Cadence | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | 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 | Architecture Views, Cross-view Notes, Rationale |
Tagsno overlap | CommunicationStakeholdersDeliveryPlanning | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | DocumentationStakeholdersArchitecture |