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| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Future Reality Tree |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Architecture Views and Beyond |  Architecture arc42 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | A Future Reality Tree shows how desired actions are meant to lead to a better system state. The method checks whether a path of change holds together logically before time flows into implementation. | 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. | Views and Beyond organizes architecture into several views so no single diagram has to do everything at once. This makes it possible to choose the representation that fits the stakeholder's question. | arc42 structures architecture knowledge so teams can document system, decisions, and risks consistently. The template builds a living understanding of the architecture instead of scattered notes. |
Complexitydifferent | High | High | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 2-4 h | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 1-3 Tage | 1-2 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 1-4 | 1-4 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Future Reality Tree, Negative Branches, Assumption List, Improved Injections | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | Architecture Views, Cross-view Notes, Rationale | Architecture Document, Context View, Runtime View, Deployment View |
Tagsno overlap | Theory of ConstraintsSystems thinkingChange | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | DocumentationStakeholdersArchitecture | ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication |