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Criterion
Paper illustration of the Lightning Decision Jam working structure.
Facilitation
Decision Jam
Paper illustration for Risk Storming.
Architecture
Risk Storming
Paper illustration for Root Cause Analysis.
Operations
Root Cause Analysis
Paper illustration: scenarios and architectural decisions are connected to identified risks.
Architecture
ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)
Purposedifferent
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.When a problem keeps recurring and the cause stays unclear, the method exposes the underlying mechanism. It separates symptom, guess, and robust explanation from one another.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.
Complexitydifferent
LowLowMediumHigh
Timedifferent
60-90 min60-90 min1-4 hSeveral meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope
Participantsdifferent
4-104-123-8Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Problem Cluster, Prioritized Challenge, ExperimentAnnotated Diagram, Prioritized Risk List, Action BacklogProblem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action PlanPrioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations
Tagsno overlap
FacilitationDecisionProblem solvingWorkshop
RiskArchitectureWorkshopValidation
Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident
ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders
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