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| Criterion |  Decision Making Decision Matrix |  Operations Change Analysis |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Decision Making Trade-off Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When several options collide with several criteria, comparison quickly becomes subjective. A Decision Matrix makes the trade-off visible and brings weighting, criteria, and options into a shared logic. | For a deviation after a change, the method isolates the influence of the altered condition. It narrows down which differences are relevant and which are just accompanying noise. | An ADR permanently records an architecture decision with context, trade-offs, and consequence. It creates continuity for later changes because the decision path stays traceable. | With limited resources, quality, speed, cost, and risk almost always compete with each other. Trade-off Analysis makes these tensions explicit and prevents decisions from producing hidden side effects. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | 45-120 min | 15-45 min | 45-120 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 2-6 | 1-3 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Decision Matrix, Scoring Rationale, Selected Option | Change Matrix, Cause Hypotheses, Validation Questions, Action List | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | Trade-off Matrix, Criteria List, Decision Rationale, Accepted Downsides |
Tagsno overlap | DecisionCriteriaScoringTradeoffs | ChangeRoot causeTroubleshootingComparison | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | TradeoffsDecisionCriteriaOptions |