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Selected:Futures WheelATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)Views and BeyondArchitecture Decision Record
| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Futures Wheel |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Architecture Views and Beyond |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | The Futures Wheel helps explore the consequences of a decision, a trend, or a strategic move in a structured way. It makes visible which first, second, and third-order effects could arise from an event. | 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. | An ADR permanently records an architecture decision with context, trade-offs, and consequence. It creates continuity for later changes because the decision path stays traceable. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | High | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 60-120 min | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 1-3 Tage | 15-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 1-4 | 1-3 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Async |
Outputdifferent | Futures Wheel, Consequence Chains, Strategic Signals | 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 | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale |
Tagsno overlap | ForesightSystems thinkingSignals | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | DocumentationStakeholdersArchitecture | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance |