methodatlas
Compare

View methods side by side.

Choose up to four methods. Add them using the search and share the comparison by copying its link.

Criterion
Paper illustration of the McKinsey 7S Framework with seven connected fields
Business Strategy
McKinsey 7S
Paper illustration with architecture components and concrete change tasks for comparison.
Architecture
SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method)
Paper illustration of Spotify Model Mapping with its method-specific working model.
Team Design
Spotify Model Mapping
Paper illustration for Alignment Mapping.
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.When a team landscape has grown without clear grouping, it maps roles and relationships onto the Spotify model. It clarifies responsibility, interaction, and load between teams. The result is captured as a Spotify model map and action list.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
MediumHighMediumMedium
Timedifferent
2-4 hPreparation, scenario analysis, and findings review; effort depends on scope90-180 min1-2 h
Participantsdifferent
3-12Architecture experts and stakeholders for scenarios and weighting5-154-12
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshop
Outputdifferent
7S Assessment, Alignment Gaps, Change ActionsDomain functions mapped to components and connections, Quality attributes and evaluation criteria, Typical tasks and their effects on the architecture, Reasoned evaluation or comparison of alternativesSpotify Model Map, Action ListAlignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions
Tagsno overlap
OrganizationStrategyAlignmentChange
ArchitectureChangeAnalysisComparisonQuality
TeamOrganizationAlignmentDiagnosis
AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation
Add more methods