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| Criterion | ![]() Innovation How Might We | ![]() Product Discovery Context Canvas | ![]() Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) | ![]() Systems Thinking CATWOE Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | When an environment of users, systems, and constraints is hard to grasp, it puts the context compactly on the table. It creates a clear reading of influence, boundary, and dependency. | 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. | CATWOE structures a problem from six viewpoints and prevents too narrow a view of the situation. Different experiences of the system become comparably discussable this way. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 30–45 min | 45-90 min | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1-10 | 3-10 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | HMW Questions, Challenge Framing, Idea Prompts | Context canvas, Open questions, Shared context notes | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | CATWOE Canvas, Root Definition, Stakeholder Perspectives, Constraints |
Tagsno overlap | FramingOpportunityIdeationQuestions | ContextFramingRequirementsCanvas | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | Systems thinkingFramingStakeholders |



