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Criterion
Paper illustration of an IBIS map with issues, positions and arguments
Knowledge Modeling
IBIS
Paper illustration: scenarios and architectural decisions are connected to identified risks.
Architecture
ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)
Red Teaming method illustration showing its working structure
Decision Making
Red Teaming
Paper illustration of two considered options leading to a decision record with a marked status and visible consequences.
Architecture
Architecture Decision Record
Purposedifferent
IBIS structures thinking about complex questions as a sequence of issues, ideas, and arguments. The method keeps discussions open without forcing them into premature consensus.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.For strategic decisions with high reach, agreement and gut feeling are often not enough. Red teaming brings deliberate opposition into the situation and tests where a plan breaks under real counterarguments.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
MediumHighHighLow
Timedifferent
1-3 hSeveral meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope1-4 h15-45 min
Participantsdifferent
2-8Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders3-81-3
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshopAsync
Outputdifferent
Issue Map, Positions, Argument NotesPrioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigationsChallenge Findings, Risk Register, Mitigation PlanADR File, Decision Log, Rationale
Tagsno overlap
RationaleKnowledgeDecision
ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders
RiskDecisionSensemaking
ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance
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