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Selected:McKinsey 7SSAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)Architecture Inception CanvasAlignment Mapping
| Criterion |  Business Strategy McKinsey 7S |  Architecture SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method) |  Architecture Architecture Inception Canvas |  Facilitation Alignment Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | McKinsey 7S checks whether Strategy, Structure, Systems, Shared Values, Skills, Style, and Staff fit together. Organizational misalignments become visible across multiple levers as a result. | 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. | The Architecture Inception Canvas bundles the first architecture questions into a compact decision picture. It fits when an initiative is still in motion but still needs clear guardrails. | When several people work toward one goal but hold different mental maps, Alignment Mapping makes the discrepancies visible. It arranges goals, assumptions, and priorities so shared direction becomes verifiable. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | High | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 2-4 h | Preparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope | 1-2 h | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-12 | Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting | 3-8 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | 7S Assessment, Alignment Gaps, Change Actions | 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 | Inception Canvas, Risks, Goal List, Open Questions | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions |
Tagsno overlap | OrganizationStrategyAlignmentChange | ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality | AlignmentArchitectureCanvas | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation |