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Selected:LASR (Lightweight Approach for Software Reviews)Mind MappingSAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)Change Analysis
| Criterion |  Architecture LASR (Lightweight Approach for Software Reviews) |  Facilitation Mind Mapping |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  Operations Change Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | LASR helps development teams identify where their software falls short of important quality goals and which improvements to consider. A small group with existing system knowledge can make an initial assessment and investigate open questions in more detail. | When a topic is still unclear and too many thoughts surface at once, Mind Mapping creates an open surface for ordering them. It makes connections, subtopics, and starting points visible without fixing them too early. | SAAM helps teams judge an architecture’s suitability for selected tasks and changes. It is particularly useful for examining modifiability and comparing architecture alternatives with clear reasoning. | For a deviation after a change, the method isolates the influence of the altered condition. It narrows down which differences are relevant and which are just accompanying noise. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Low | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 3–4 h for initial assessment; preparation and deeper analysis additional | 15-45 min | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 45-120 min |
Participantsdifferent | 1 or a small team; particularly suitable for 3–4 people | 1-10 | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 2-6 |
Formatsame | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Lean Mission Statement describing the software’s purpose, Prioritized quality goals and evaluation criteria, Risks and estimated gaps against quality goals, More closely examined findings and open checks | Mind Map, Topic Clusters, Open Questions | Domain functions mapped to components and connections, Quality attributes and evaluation criteria, Typical tasks and their effects on the architecture, Reasoned evaluation or comparison of alternatives | Change Matrix, Cause Hypotheses, Validation Questions, Action List |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureQualityRiskAssessmentLean | BrainstormingIdeasMappingStructureFacilitation | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | ChangeRoot causeTroubleshootingComparison |