View methods side by side.
Choose up to four methods. Add them using the search and share the comparison by copying its link.
Selected:Evaporating CloudSAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)Assumption SurfacingATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)
| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Evaporating Cloud |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | The method makes visible why two seemingly incompatible demands arise and which assumption must be tested to resolve the conflict. | 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. | 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. | 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 | Medium | High | Low | High |
Timedifferent | 60-120 min | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 45-90 min | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 2-8 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Conflict Cloud, Assumption List, Breakthrough Ideas, Next Experiments | 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 | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations |
Tagsno overlap | Theory of ConstraintsAssumptionsSystems thinking | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders |