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Selected:Competency QuestionsSAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)Power Interest GridAlignment Mapping
| Criterion |  Knowledge Modeling Competency Questions |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  Facilitation Power Interest Grid |  Facilitation Alignment Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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 many stakeholders compete for attention at once, the Power Interest Grid sorts them by influence and stake. It turns individual contributions into a visible selection. The result is captured as a Power Interest Grid and a stakeholder-specific strategy. | 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 | Medium | High | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 2-4 h | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 30-60 min | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 2-8 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Competency Question Set, Required Concepts, Test Queries, Coverage Matrix | 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 | Power Interest Grid, Strategy per Stakeholder | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions |
Tagsno overlap | OntologyKnowledge graphScopeRequirementsSemantic | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | StakeholdersFacilitationAlignmentPlanning | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation |