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Selected:Golden PathArchitecture Decision RecordATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)Views and Beyond
| Criterion |  Engineering Golden Path |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Architecture Views and Beyond |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When teams need a reliable default path for frequent use, sprawl quickly emerges without any guiding logic. Golden Path bundles the preferred path so good practice becomes easy and deviation becomes deliberate. | 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. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-3 Tage Setup, laufend | 15-45 min | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 1-3 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 1-3 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 1-4 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Golden Path Guide, Templates, Quality Checks | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale | 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 |
Tagsno overlap | EngineeringProductivityGovernance | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | DocumentationStakeholdersArchitecture |