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Selected:Decision MatrixSAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)Constraint AnalysisChange Analysis
| Criterion |  Decision Making Decision Matrix |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  Decision Making Constraint Analysis |  Operations Change 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. | 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. | When an initiative stalls, the limit often lies not in the idea but in hard or soft boundary conditions. Constraint Analysis separates these limits and shows which of them can actually be shaped. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | High | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 30-90 min | 45-120 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 2-8 | 2-6 |
Formatsame | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Decision Matrix, Scoring Rationale, Selected Option | 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 | Constraint List, Hard/Soft Classification, Option Impact Notes, Decision Boundaries | Change Matrix, Cause Hypotheses, Validation Questions, Action List |
Tagsno overlap | DecisionCriteriaScoringTradeoffs | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | ConstraintsDecisionPlanningOptions | ChangeRoot causeTroubleshootingComparison |