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Selected:Golden PathAssumption SurfacingATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)Request for Comments
| Criterion |  Engineering Golden Path |  Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Architecture Request for Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | 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. | An RFC clarifies architecture context, options, and consequences. It structures technical context, alternatives, tradeoffs, open questions, and review feedback, and captures the result as an RFC document, reviewer comments, and a decision rationale. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-3 Tage Setup, laufend | 45-90 min | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 1-3 Wochen vom Draft bis zur Entscheidung |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 2-8 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 3-20 Reviewer |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Async |
Outputdifferent | Golden Path Guide, Templates, Quality Checks | 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 | RFC document, Reviewer comments, Decision rationale, Follow-up ADR or tickets |
Tagsno overlap | EngineeringProductivityGovernance | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | ArchitectureDecisionAsyncGovernance |