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Criterion
Paper illustration of Competency Questions with its method-specific working model.
Knowledge Modeling
Competency Questions
Paper illustration: scenarios and architectural decisions are connected to identified risks.
Architecture
ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)
Paper illustration of Shape-first Modeling with its method-specific working model.
Knowledge Modeling
Shape-First Modeling
Design sheets and interface cards connect to jointly written pseudocode with highlighted unresolved questions.
Architecture
ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)
Purposedifferent
Competency Questions translate a domain model into concrete questions that it must be able to answer. The method keeps the model's scope clean and prevents pretty but useless structures.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.Shape-First Modeling defines data quality through shapes before implementation or integration frays at the edges. The approach fits when validation and data contracts should be part of the design from the start.ARID examines how well developers can work with a technical design. It focuses on a part of the system that can still be revised, between the architecture overview and the detailed specification.
Complexitydifferent
MediumHighMediumMedium
Timedifferent
2-4 hSeveral meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scopeHalber Tag pro Domain Slice2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional
Participantsdifferent
2-8Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders1-4Designers, developers as users, and facilitation
Formatsame
Workshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Competency Question Set, Required Concepts, Test Queries, Coverage MatrixPrioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigationsSHACL or ShEx Shapes, Validation Reports, Data Contracts, Shape DocumentationPrioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisions
Tagsno overlap
OntologyKnowledge graphScopeRequirementsSemantic
ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders
Knowledge graphValidationSemantic
ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks
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