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Criterion
Paper illustration of the Consensus Workshop working structure.
Facilitation
Consensus Workshop
Paper illustration: scenarios and architectural decisions are connected to identified risks.
Architecture
ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)
Paper illustration of the Lightning Decision Jam working structure.
Facilitation
Decision Jam
Paper illustration for Risk Storming.
Architecture
Risk Storming
Purposedifferent
When a group needs a solid decision without outvoting individual factions, a Consensus Workshop creates a negotiable common ground. It makes agreement, reservations, and open tensions discussable at the same time.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 decision is stuck, Decision Jam loosens the knot through structured separation of problem, idea, and selection. The format creates movement without jumping prematurely at the first seemingly elegant answer.Helps clarify architecture context, options, and consequences in concrete terms. It organizes technical context, alternatives, and consequences. The result is captured as an Annotated Diagram, a Prioritized Risk List, and an Action Backlog.
Complexitydifferent
MediumHighLowLow
Timedifferent
1-3 hSeveral meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope60-90 min60-90 min
Participantsdifferent
5-30Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders4-104-12
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshop
Outputdifferent
Consensus Clusters, Theme Titles, Priority AreasPrioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigationsProblem Cluster, Prioritized Challenge, ExperimentAnnotated Diagram, Prioritized Risk List, Action Backlog
Tagsno overlap
FacilitationConsensusWorkshopAlignment
ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders
FacilitationDecisionProblem solvingWorkshop
RiskArchitectureWorkshopValidation
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