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| Criterion |  Innovation Lean Startup |  Growth A/B Testing |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Product Discovery Smoke Test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | For uncertain business assumptions, the method forces the idea into contact with real market reactions early. It separates wishful picture, assumption, and observable behavior, so that learning becomes faster than planning. This translates uncertainty into measurable insight. | When two variants compete, discussions quickly decide by taste rather than effect. A/B Testing checks behavior under controlled conditions and separates real improvement from chance or expectation effects. | 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 demand only needs to be roughly verified, it tests interest with minimal effort. It measures whether people would take a next step at all. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | High | High | Low |
Timedifferent | Wochen bis Monate je Lernzyklus | 1-4 Wochen | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 1-5 Tage |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 1-6 | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | Nutzertraffic |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop + async | Async |
Outputdifferent | Hypothesis list, MVPs, Learning reports, Pivot or persevere decision | Experiment results, Decision log, Learning summary | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | Interest Metrics, Conversion Signal, Learning Note |
Tagsno overlap | LeanStartupValidationMVP | ExperimentsGrowthAnalyticsValidation | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | ValidationExperimentsDemandGrowth |