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Selected:Consensus WorkshopSAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)Architecture Inception CanvasStakeholder Mapping
| Criterion |  Facilitation Consensus Workshop |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  Architecture Architecture Inception Canvas |  Facilitation Stakeholder Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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. | The Architecture Inception Canvas bundles the first architecture questions into a compact decision picture. It fits when an initiative is still in motion but still needs clear guardrails. | When an initiative depends on many people, interests, and power dynamics, Stakeholder Mapping systematically orders the environment. It shows who influences, who is affected, and where relationship management or safeguarding matters first. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | High | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-3 h | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 1-2 h | 60–90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 5-30 | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 3-8 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Consensus Clusters, Theme Titles, Priority Areas | 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 | Inception Canvas, Risks, Goal List, Open Questions | Stakeholder Map, Engagement Plan, Risk Notes |
Tagsno overlap | FacilitationConsensusWorkshopAlignment | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | AlignmentArchitectureCanvas | StakeholdersAlignmentFacilitationChange |