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| Criterion |  Decision Making Force Field Analysis |  Decision Making Pre-Mortem |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  Business Strategy GAP Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | In change initiatives, supporting and restraining forces sit at the table at the same time. Force Field Analysis makes these tensions explicit and shows where change can be pushed forward by strengthening or relieving. | In early initiatives with many uncertainties, planning quickly turns too optimistic. A pre-mortem makes the expected failure visible in advance and sharpens the view of causes, gaps, and countermeasures. | 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. | GAP Analysis compares the current state with a target picture and makes the distance manageable. It becomes useful when, ahead of new initiatives, it must become clear which capabilities, processes, or resources are missing. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | 20–45 min | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-12 | Small cross-functional group | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Force Field Map, Change Levers, Risk Notes | Risk list, Mitigation plan, Assumption log | 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 | Gap Matrix, Action Plan, Risk Notes |
Tagsno overlap | ChangeDecisionStrategy | RiskDecisionFailurePlanning | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | StrategyAnalysisPlanning |