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| Criterion |  Facilitation Dot Estimation |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Agile Affinity Estimation |  Agile Bucket System |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When size or effort can only be estimated roughly, Dot Estimation condenses the group's experience into a quick range. It turns individual contributions into a visible selection. The result is captured as an Effort Heatmap, Risk Signals, and Discussion Targets. | 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. | When many tasks need to be classified quickly, it sorts them by perceived effort and similarity. It reduces the effort of fine-grained estimation for large volumes. | When a large batch of work needs a fast, rough estimate, it sorts items into predefined size buckets. It sorts work by value, risk, and delivery ability. The result is captured as a Bucketed Backlog, Relative Estimates, and Split Candidates. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | High | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 5-20 min | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 30-90 min | 30-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-20 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 3-12 | 3-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Effort Heatmap, Risk Signals, Discussion Targets | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | Affinity Size Map, Grouped Estimates, Unclear Items | Bucketed Backlog, Relative Estimates, Split Candidates |
Tagsno overlap | EstimationEffortRisk | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | EstimationBacklogRelative sizing | EstimationBacklogRelative sizing |