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| Criterion |  Innovation How Might We |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Architecture Architecture Inception Canvas |
|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | With a stuck problem carrying many implicit assumptions, the method translates observations into open, workable questions. It sharpens the problem frame without pre-thinking the solution, turning frustration or fuzziness into a search space with clear direction. | 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. | The Architecture Inception Canvas bundles the first architecture questions into a compact decision picture. It fits when an initiative is still in motion but still needs clear guardrails. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | High | Low |
Timedifferent | 30–45 min | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 1-10 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | HMW Questions, Challenge Framing, Idea Prompts | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | Inception Canvas, Risks, Goal List, Open Questions |
Tagsno overlap | FramingOpportunityIdeationQuestions | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | AlignmentArchitectureCanvas |
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Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.
