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Selected:Consensus WorkshopSAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)Software Architecture CanvasStakeholder Mapping
| Criterion |  Facilitation Consensus Workshop |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  Architecture Software Architecture 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 Software Architecture Canvas reduces a system to the most important architecture decisions, constraints, and interfaces. It is useful when teams need a resilient overall picture quickly. | 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 | 3-10 | 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 | Architecture Canvas, Goals, Constraints, Quality Attributes | Stakeholder Map, Engagement Plan, Risk Notes |
Tagsno overlap | FacilitationConsensusWorkshopAlignment | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | CanvasArchitectureAlignmentWorkshop | StakeholdersAlignmentFacilitationChange |