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Selected:Evaporating CloudATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)Assumption SurfacingCATWOE Analysis
| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Evaporating Cloud |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |  Systems Thinking CATWOE Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | The method makes visible why two seemingly incompatible demands arise and which assumption must be tested to resolve the conflict. | 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. | Plans often contain assumptions that were never openly stated and remain dangerous precisely because of that. Assumption Surfacing makes these silent premises visible and prioritizes which of them carry the initiative or could sink it. | CATWOE structures a problem from six viewpoints and prevents too narrow a view of the situation. Different experiences of the system become comparably discussable this way. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | High | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 60-120 min | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 45-90 min | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 2-8 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Conflict Cloud, Assumption List, Breakthrough Ideas, Next Experiments | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan | CATWOE Canvas, Root Definition, Stakeholder Perspectives, Constraints |
Tagsno overlap | Theory of ConstraintsAssumptionsSystems thinking | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery | Systems thinkingFramingStakeholders |