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Criterion
Paper illustration for Knowledge Mapping.
Knowledge Modeling
Knowledge Mapping
Paper illustration: scenarios and architectural decisions are connected to identified risks.
Architecture
ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method)
Paper illustration for Argument Mapping
Decision Making
Argument Mapping
Paper illustration of an IBIS map with issues, positions and arguments
Knowledge Modeling
IBIS
Purposedifferent
Knowledge Mapping makes knowledge, gaps, and transfer paths visible across a field. It fits when expertise should not just exist but also be findable and transferable.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.When statements, evidence, and counterarguments get mixed up, a debate quickly loses its structure. Argument Mapping breaks a thesis down into its reasoning and makes visible what it really rests on.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.
Complexitydifferent
MediumHighMediumMedium
Timedifferent
1-3 hSeveral meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope1-3 h1-3 h
Participantsdifferent
3-12Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders1-82-8
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Knowledge Map, Critical Knowledge Areas, Transfer PlanPrioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigationsArgument Map, Evidence Gaps, Decision RationaleIssue Map, Positions, Argument Notes
Tagsno overlap
KnowledgeMappingRisk
ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders
SensemakingDecisionRationale
RationaleKnowledgeDecision
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